Madonna and Guy Ritchie announced this afternoon that they are divorcing after seven-and-a-half years of marriage.

A statement on the split between the American pop singer and the British director said the couple had not agreed a settlement. However, Ritchie will be entitled to as much as half her £300 million fortune, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The statement was made through Madonna's publicist in New York, where the singer is on tour.

A source said today the couple were desperate to avoid the acrimony that surrounded Sir Paul McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills and were intent on keeping the split “harmonious” for the sake of their children.

Legal sources said Ritchie, 40, may now be entitled to half of Madonna's wealth after eight years of a stormy marriage. If he were to walk away with £150 million it would make it one of the biggest divorce payouts in history.

The huge sum would be based on their 10-year relationship — relatively long for a celebrity marriage, his support of her career and the fact that they have two children together, Rocco, eight, and adopted David Banda, two.

A leading divorce lawyer told the Standard: “Guy Ritchie is entitled to half her wealth. This is a relatively lengthy marriage and he could argue he has assisted his wife to enhance her career. His own career has arguably suffered as a result of the need to support his wife.

“It is up to Madonna to make the case why he should not get half her money.”

Madonna, 50, is said to be worth at least £300 million, making her one of the world's richest women. Ritchie, director of Lock Stock And Two Smoking Barrels and the recent RocknRolla has his own independent wealth, estimated at around £30 million.

While sources have insisted the divorce will not be bitter, the couple will need to work out how to care for their children.

Ritchie has his own country estate in Wiltshire while the couple's London home near Oxford Street is owned by Madonna.

But if Madonna plans to move back to New York, as has been speculated, that could spark a battle over access and custody. Madonna's eldest child Lourdes, 12, by the dancer Carlos Leon, is said to want to spend more time with her natural father in the US.

Unless Ritchie gives permission to Madonna to remove the children from London, she would need to seek a court order to do so or else face a potential kidnapping charge, the legal source warned today.

The divorce is also complicated by the adoption of baby David in Malawi where Ritchie and Madonna will have presented themselves as a stable, happily married couple.

The divorce could even lead to a legal challenge over the adoption.

The couple will want to avoid the kind of publicity McCartney was exposed to during his two-year, £25 million divorce from Ms Mills.

Reports suggest Madonna has already hired lawyer Fiona Shackleton, who represented McCartney, and is considered the leading divorce lawyer in the country.

If Ms Shackleton is on board, it is likely she has already secured the services of Nicholas Mostyn QC to act for the pop star. Mr Mostyn is understood to have demolished Ms Mills in the High Court.

Madonna's split from Ritchie has been a long time coming with speculation rife about the state of their marriage for some months.

Madonna's wish to adopt another child, despite Ritchie's view that it would increase the strain on their family, is said to be one of the reasons why the couple are finally calling it a day.

Ritchie is also said to be increasingly unhappy with his wife's four hours a day gym habit and her reluctance to support his career. He is currently filming a new version of Sherlock Holmes.

According to reports, they are now said to be communicating only through their personal assistants after a series of bitter rows. “They have tried hard to patch things up, but their fighting was getting out of control,” one insider said.

A formal separation was initially due to take place in the New Year after the singer completes her current world tour, but Ritchie is now said to have decided that the break-up cannot be delayed.

Problems in the relationship also included reports linking the singer to baseball player Alex Rodriguez.

Madonna is said to have tired of her life in London.

She is on the north American leg of a world tour and will be in the US until 26 November before moving on to South America.

She will then head home on 19 December although it is not clear if that will be to new York or London.

A spokeswoman for Madonna declined to comment on the latest reports and said nothing would be announced until “America wakes up” later today.
A spokeswoman for Ms Shackleton's office said: “I am afraid we are unable to say anything about this matter.”

At Ritchie's father's house in Chelsea today, nobody was commenting. A man, who answered the door, said: “We won't be talking to the press at all today.”