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Madonna and Guy still fighting over custody of their children
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter11.12.08
MADONNA and Guy Ritchie remain locked in a legal battle over custody of their children, the Evening Standard can reveal today.
The couple, who divorced last month, have still to thrash out an agreement over access rights and where the children should live.
A source close to the case told the Standard: "Both sets of lawyers have still got their heads down. It is very complicated."
Negotiations over the children are difficult because of Madonna's apparent determination to move back to the United States. They are made even more complex by the fact that the father of her eldest child, Lourdes, lives in New York.
Madonna and Ritchie have one natural child from their eight-year-marriage - Rocco, eight, whom Ritchie is said to dote upon. They adopted another son, David, three, from Malawi. It has been reported that Lourdes, 12, has been pulled out of the Lycée Francais Charles de Gaulle School in South Kensington while Madonna has allegedly been looking at a French school in New York.
The chances of Ritchie ensuring his sons stay in London - against Madonna's wishes - are slim, but he is in a strong position to negotiate. The source added: "Ways need to be found to tie up claims both in New York and in London."
One source suggested Ritchie, who left the marriage with almost none of his wife's estimated £300m fortune, may insist on Madonna buying him an apartment in New York as part of a deal to allow the children to live in the city. She cannot take them to live permanently in the US unless Ritchie or an English court gives permission.
The source said Madonna, 50, had still to sit down with film director Ritchie, 10 years her junior, to work out whether the children would live permanently in New York or stay in London, where they have grown up.
The pop star is represented by Fiona Shackleton, who handled Sir Paul McCartney's and Prince Charles's divorces, while Ritchie has hired Helen Ward, who secured the biggest divorce payout ever awarded by a British court.He has also hired Stephen Cobb QC, an expert in the "international relocation of children". The source suggested Mrs Shackleton and Lady Ward, the wife of an Appeal Court judge, are unlikely to allow the case to go to court.
"I am sure they will both want to settle this amicably," the source said. "They won't want this aired in public." However, if Madonna does win the right to take her children to America, it raises the prospect of legal hearings taking place in New York, too.
This could mean embarrassing details of their marriage being aired in public as US courts can hear children's cases in public. Madonna's spokeswoman was not available for comment.
Reader views (11)
- Kate, London
Where is Simbabwe? Just above and a bit to the right of Zimbabwe!
That is where the god like figure of Mugabe has cured everybody of cholera over night. White padded cell for one please!
- Frank, Home Counties, England
Simbabwe = Zimbabwe .. sorry for the German spelling! 
- Carsten, London
Guy Ritchie has been totally dignified about the whole matter.She,on the otherhand,the opposite.She's a fake.It just goes to show it does'nt matter who you are...the "mother" always get the children.Guy will be at his wits end over all this.Like all us DAD's who wanted to be part of a marriage but the mother decided "i'm bored,your out,we're finished",he will be left chasing memories and hoping to see his son.If i was him i'd buy a house next to her's and be around my son as much as i could.She's pathetic,a disgrace.
- Chris, bushey
Why is everyone for Guy Ritchie. Is it because he is English? Or is it because Madonna is a try hard old bag?
- Brian Fast, Sydney australia
Carsten, I think Children are dying in Zimbabwe because of being ruled over by a evil despot who cares for nothing but himself. He has enough money to pay for his wifes shopping trips to Europe but not enough to pay for water for his "own" people. Read into that you will. You can blame Madonna for a lot of things but even the most anti-Madonna person would find it hard to blame her for Zimbabwe's crisis. Good try though.
- Alan, Brighton
Guy Ritchie surely can't expect to share custody and have his children educated in a country that their mother doesn't reside in? He'll surely be able to see them quite regularly anyway as his job will invariably call for him to work in the US anyway?!! So what's the problem?
- Ali Sichilongo, London
Kate, i think Carsten meant to say who cares, not worry about a spelling mistake.
- Jamie, london
Why is she so selfish? She has tons of money, got her divorce, and wants the three kids all to herself. She has to have minders for all the children while she flaunts herself on stage making even more money and spends time at the gym making herself look like a freak. Guy should have his natural son to raise.
- Maggie B. Toronto On, Markham, ON. Canada
Where is Simbabwe?
- Kate, London
And in Simbabwe children are dying because of a lack of water...
- Carsten, London
She should play nicely, otherwise Guy should sting her for every penny she's got.
- Robert C, London UK
