Macca and Heather meet over divorce

Miss Mills arrived first in a car at the back of First Avenue House, an annexe of the Royal Courts of Justice in Holborn.

She was taken from the car with a blanket covering her head to thwart the scores of photographers who surrounded the building. Sir Paul, wearing a dark suit, arrived a few minutes later.

They used judges' entrances to get to court No.16 and avoid any contact with the media. Even the small spy hole in the door of the court had been covered to stop prying eyes.

The secrecy surrounding the case was highlighted by the fact that the noticeboard outside the court contained no names of either parties in the case or the judge.

As the time approached for the beginning of the hearing, court officials barricaded the entrance to Court 16 with four office chairs.

Thursday's hearing is almost certainly connected with money - how much Heather wants and what Sir Paul is prepared to pay to avoid further court hearings which could become public if either takes the fight to the Court of Appeal.

It has been put forward in the past that Sir Paul has offered in the region of £20 million and Ms Mills is after something more like £50 million.

Divorce lawyers believe there will be a settlement, with Sir Paul agreeing to increase his offer from his estimated £825 million fortune.

The deal is expected to outstrip the £48 million insurance broker John Charman, 53, was ordered to pay his former wife Beverley in May this year in the biggest contested divorce settlement to date.