Frances Gibb
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Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills are under a strict order from Mr Justice Bennett, the High Court judge for their divorce settlement hearing, that they risk contempt of court proceedings and fines if details of the negotiations are leaked to the media.
On the second day of the private hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, Sir Paul and Ms Mills came and went with barely a look towards the waiting press. Sir Paul said: “No comment”, and a member of Ms Mills’s entourage said: “We are under strict instructions to say nothing.”
The hearing has a line up of top family lawyers for Sir Paul, including Nicholas Mostyn, QC, and Fiona Shackleton, the solicitor who acted for the Prince of Wales in his divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales.
Ms Mills is acting for herself. However, David Rosen, from a firm in Edgware, is acting as a “McKenzie friend”, advising her unofficially. The role is usually taken by a lay person who advises litigants acting on their own. David Swede, a managing partner at the firm, said that Mr Rosen, of the litigation department of Darlingtons, became involved through a referral from another solicitor.
It is believed that Sir Paul has offered a sum in the region of £20 million with annual payments to support Beatrice, the couple’s daughter, but that Ms Mills is arguing for a sum nearer to £70 million – in part because of the costly security protection that she claims to need.
Sandra Sinclair, of SAS Daniels, a law firm, said that Britain’s was the best jurisdiction in the world for wives seeking a divorce settlement but that Ms Mills could find herself in trouble at the Royal Courts of Justice.
“She must be mad to do it herself. She will be up against one of the finest legal teams in the world,” she said.
There has been speculation among divorce experts that the settlement could reach £60 million.
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Tom Cruise and Heather Mills should find each other. Together they could talk about organics and aliens and how they are saving the world and maybe in their own little world they could live happily ever after with Beatrice and Suri and talk about how hated they are and all that stuff. Be good to get rid of both of them they are both as disliked as the other.
Sue, Qld, Australia
She should get a fortune, I'd want a lot of money for putting up with Paul McCartney (and his horrendous family) for as long as she did, without taking into account the fact that she is bringing up his child.
It's not like he needs it, and he'll just use it to subject us to more of his terrible songs.
Sarah, Oxford,
Paul McCartney is over 18 and got himself into this mess and now he will have to pay to get himself out of it. She did not draw an income in the years they were married and also bore him a child. She will get her fair share and rightly so. Maybe they will both think a bit more before jumping into marriage with such an age gap. They'll never spend that money in many lifetimes.
Bev Burghardt, Edmonton, CAN
Hey Paul, In the end it's only money, & a paltry little amount at that in the whole scheme of things. I saw a picture of you in the paper last night, God man she isn't worth it if that is what it's doing to you. Give her the money & move on. It dosen't mean you are weak. You are the man.
Good luck
Ken Carter, Mt Maunganui /Tauranga, New Zealand
Remember the famous 'Mrs Merton' interview question asked of Debbie McGee. "What first attracted you to the millionaire Paul Daniels"... Mills is a gold-digger, and that was plain for us all to see.
NS, Kent
NS, Kent, Kent
She should only be entitled to child support - that's it. She had to support herself before and she should do it now. He does not owe her anything more than child support.
Lorraine, Edmonton, Canada
She needs the money so she can devote it and herself to charity... ;-)
J, Glasgow,
She should get money because they were married. We live in a common law system, which includes precedence, so to disallow the few rich women a share of what was earned during the marriage would be to disadvantage the vast majority of women in the weaker position financially that this law was designed to protect.
That being said, if she gets anything from Sir Paul's fortune that he amassed before they were married, that would be plain ridiculous.
Alejandro, Fornalutx, Mallorca
She should receive only child support. She took advantage of an older man on the rebound from his first marriage. A woman with her resources would not have had gotten iinvolved if it had not been PAUL McCARTNEY !
Kevin Jagoe, Toronto, Canada
She doesn't deserve anything but child support. That is if she even wants to take care of her and Paul's child. She had money before Paul and should be ok after. Why should she get money just because he's a wealthly man. She's like any other woman. If she works, which she has no problem making money and did before marriage, then she should not get anything else.
Vickie Forrest, Amelia Island, USA, FL