Morning:
14°c
Madonna taking boys to live in US
Robert Mendick, Chief Reporter30.01.09
Madonna is poised to take her children to the US after winning a residency battle with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, the Evening Standard can reveal.
The pop star is understood to have been given temporary permission to remove their two sons from Britain. The agreement is expected to be made permanent within a fortnight.
A source close to the negotiations said today: “Everything is going to be resolved in the next couple of weeks. Everything is going well. It's pretty amicable at the moment. Things are progressing.”
A legal insider said arrangements had been resolved and that it was “unheard of” for such agreements to be overturned at a later date. The source said: “There was a issue about where the children should live but that has been decided in Madonna's favour.”
The decision paves the way for Madonna, 50, to take sons Rocco, eight, and David, three, who was adopted from a Malawi orphanage, to live with her in New York. The father of Madonna's eldest child, Lourdes, 12, lives in New York and it has been widely reported that she is keen to move back there.
She is said to be dating Alex Rodriguez, the highest paid player in baseball, who plays for the New York Yankees. Her spokeswoman today refused to comment on her post-divorce plans. The agreement over where the children should live brings to an end a divorce battle which has seen Ritchie, 40, pick up close to £45 million in cash, a country estate in Wiltshire and a London pub.
The couple were granted a "quickie" divorce in November but had failed to settle their differences over the children. Ritchie had wanted Rocco, upon whom he dotes, to be educated in England but Madonna's lawyers argued that the children should not be split up and should remain with their mother.
It is likely his sons will divide their time between London and New York but be educated in the US. Today Madonna announced a new European tour beginning on 4 July at the O2 Arena, with tickets costing as much as £175, and ending in Slovenia on 20 August. That would allow Madonna to hand over the boys to Ritchie while she is on tour.
The "amicable" resolution will earn the couple praise for putting their differences aside for the sake of their children. It will also be seen as a triumph for the couple's solicitors Fiona Shackleton, representing Madonna, and Helen Ward, for Ritchie, who managed to keep the case from going to trial and avoid the unseemly row that engulfed Paul McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills. That case took two years to resolve and cost millions of pounds in legal fees.
Reader views (25)
Brought up by a nanny in Britain or brought up by a nanny in the US - can't see there'll be much of a difference from the kids' point of view.
- Helen, London, UK
Has anyone read the reports today about how selfish parents who pursue their own pleasures has a very detrimental affect on their children??????
Oh and by the way, I see she has just announced even more dates of her shows - just in time for the children arriving after being dragged away from their present father.
Never mind, at least Prima Donna got her own way - again!
- Janey C, inverness scotland
How can you criticise Madonna for not being a good mother? How can anyone know this? She's famous for being strict and a control freak, and im sure she is just that with her kids too. Unlike many parents whose main concern is to be at the pub 24/7.
- Nikos S, Nicosia, CYPRUS
Terrific news thought we would never get rid of her.
- Stephen,London, London, England
S- By two boys- they are referring to Rocco and DAVID... Not Lourdes. Madonna has three children all together.
- Megan, OH, USA
S in London - there was no legal question over Lourdes' custody or visitation rights as she was always considered as under Madonna's full custody, being a child previous to the Richie marriage. The legalities only concern children born/adopted during the marriage - hence why the papers really don't mention Lourdes or only mention 'the boys'. Richie would have had to legally adopt Lourdes as his daughter for custody issues to arise.
- L, London
Poor children. I would be mortally embarrassed if my mother was photographed in some of the outfits she wears and some of the poses she adopts. She is every decent person's idea of an unfit mother.
- R.F., Yorks, UK
Good for Madonna. I'm really glad she's coming back here. But I am totally sure that Guy will be able to see the kids as much as he wants. He's already been doing it so far and Madonna has made sure that Lola has a great relationship with her dad. Madonna may love attention (that's who she is) but she's a good mom who obviously loves her kids. They'll turn out fine.
- Katie, FL, USA
Do we need to know this.who cares what celebs get up to.
- essexkid, essex
Lourdes is actually her daughter. Rocco is her son. Lourdes: Girl. Rocco: Boy. Thus it's unfair to call her children "the boys"
- S, London
Good riddance.
- Pat, Essex
All the best ,well come to USA
- Masood Mahmud, DIX HILLS, NEW YORK.
This is hardly a surprise. The way the legal system is biased against fathers in this country, Guy did not have a chance of keeping his children here.
- Bob, London
Shes a sensible woman,who if thay had a choice would bring there kids up in this country?
- Kev, London-UK
What a nightmare for us. But hey, she sure got all the attention she wanted. Surprised she wasn't able to buy a peerage too.
- Trunk, US
It can't be that HMRC is finally catching up with her ?
- Cap, london
OK so she's got kids by different fathers, so what. At least she's not sat on her backside waiting for the state to pay for them, she sends her daughter to a very good school. Hopefully her daugher won't turn out to be like Paris Hilton or those pointless Geldof girls.
- Dw, London
Does anyone really care?
- Hugo Vasquez, London UK
do we have to have another tour? I find the sight of a 50 year old women in hotpants and knee high leather boots pretty disgusting to be honest. Stay at home with your kids. try being a good mother!
- Ag, The Village of London
Why does she want them - she never ever spends any time with them apart from dragging them to the "church". Please just go Madonna Ive seen enough pictures of you posing with your legs open to last me a lifetime!
- Julie, London
So she's got her own way - what a surprise!
- Jane Snooks, BROMLEY
Who cares..
- P, Brixton SW
The tour dates coinciding with her childrens summer holidays speak volumes- does this woman have a problem with sitting quietly and doing nothing- her whole life seems to revolve around fitness and making money. Not great parenting attributes.
- Cherie, london
I think each child should go with his/her bio. father!!
- Cath, London
Relationships end for whatever reason but once people choose to have children it should be an enforced pre-requisit that the children have an equal access to both parents and that those parents are in close proximity, regardless of wealth. When you have a child they should be able to enforce their own choices about what they want in their lives including equal access and closeness to both parents, their happiness should not be dictated by the whims of either parent at the cost of their childrens wellbeing.
If there are going to be laws that dictate that either parent has a legal responsibility to monetarily support a child then there should be laws in place for the childs sake that they have equal access to both parents and that those parents live within say, walking distance of that child for the first 18 years of that childs life. If you choose to have kids then you choose to be dedicated to them and you relinquish your own freedom for the sake of their happiness.
- Paul, london
