Madge reaches deal over kids
2008-11-21 12:01
Michael Thurston
London - Pop megastar Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie were to divorce Friday, as the British filmmaker said a deal struck to end their eight-year marriage "was never about the money."
According to a court listing, the case was listed as a "quickie" divorce under the names Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S, to be heard before a judge in the High Court's Family Division in central London.
The decree nisi was to be announced at 10:00, the listing said. Under British law the couple do not have to personally attend the proceedings, which will last only a few minutes.
Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, announced in mid-October that they were to divorce nearly eight years after they married in a lavish ceremony at a Scottish castle in December 2000.
The couple have an eight-year-old son, Rocco, and a three-year-old son adopted in Malawi, David Banda. Madonna also has a daughter, 12-year-old Lourdes, by her former fitness trainer Carlos Leon.
Strain
There was no immediate comment from Madonna's spokesperson.
The confirmation came after press reports suggested the couple - whose marriage had reportedly been under strain for some time - had agreed a deal under which Ritchie will receive very little money.
He expressed relief at the speed of the divorce and stressed that money had never been an issue, according to the Daily Mirror on Friday.
"Thank God. It dragged on much too long and that had nothing to do with me. But it was never ever about money," the paper quoted Ritchie as saying.
According to The Times newspaper, Madonna will "keep the bulk" of her £300m ($440m) fortune, after they resolved the main stumbling block over where the children will live.
Could have demanded 50%
Their two sons will share their time between homes in Britain and the United States, it reported, adding that Madonna had wanted all her children to live with her in New York.
Her daughter will live with the singer, the Evening Standard newspaper reported.
Ritchie's fortune is estimated at some £30m ($44m) , it said, adding that under British divorce laws he could have sought up to 50% of Madonna's money.
In Britain, the couple have several properties and a stake in a pub in London, plus their Ashcombe House country estate.
In the United States, they own apartments in New York, plus a palatial mansion in Beverly Hills, California.
Highest earner
By agreeing a "quickie" divorce deal, the couple will avoid a high-profile, big money split like that of Beatles legend Paul McCartney and ex-model Heather Mills earlier this year.
Madonna is widely regarded as the world's highest-earning female singer, with Forbes.com putting her atop its Cash Queens of Music with earnings of $72m between June 2006 and June 2007.
The Sun newspaper, which broke the story of their divorce, alleged that Madonna thought he was lazy, tight-fisted and preferred the pub to his family, while Ritchie thought she was a domineering control freak obsessed with her Kabbalah faith.
Madonna - her full name is Madonna Louise Ciccone - was previously married to US actor Sean Penn.
- AFP