Madonna Pays Guy Ritchie $76 Million to Settle Divorce 1
Pop legend Madonna and her ex-husband Guy Ritchie have officially reached a divorce settlement. The singer’s spokesperson tells the media that Ritchie will receive somewhere between £50 and £60 million British pounds ($76 million and $92 million). The two were married for almost eight years before being granted a preliminary divorce by a London court on November 21st.
The settlement is not a lump sum payment to Ritchie, but does include the value of the former couple’s English country home and their London pub. Presumably, Madonna will keep the family’s London home – although she has moved with the couple’s sons Rocco and David to New York City. The couple is reportedly still finalizing custodial arrangements for the boys.
Madonna’s net worth is approximately $500 million, according to reports. Ritchie, a film director, is worth somewhere between $20 and $35 million on his own. British tabloids speculated back in October that Ritchie could walk away with a settlement in the neighborhood of $100 million. Looks like they were pretty close.
Because the marriage and divorce occurred in Great Britain, it is unlikely that this settlement is the direct result of a prenuptial agreement (or prenup). As we noted in the McCartney-Mills divorce coverage, prenups can be valid and enforceable in the United States, but they are not enforceable in British courts and the courts there retain the final say in the division of property.
$76 million, by the way, earns these two a spot in the always popular Most Expensive Celebrity Divorces list. Congratulations on joining the group! They’ve left Paul McCartney in the dust and have vaulted into the ranks of Harrison Ford and Steven Spielberg. Heady company, for sure. (Not sure where Madonna’s rumored paramour Alex Rodriguez falls on the list yet.)
UPDATE: Madonna and Ritchie have issued a joint statement denying the dollar figure provided to the Associated Press by Madonna’s own spokesperson now. My guess is that it’s still pretty accurate but that Ritchie’s ego was a bit bruised by the disclosure. “Sources close to him” previously claimed in the press that he wouldn’t take a dime from Madonna in the settlement but was only concerned about custody of the kids.
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