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UK Divorce Settlements: Is London Still The Divorce Capital Of The World?

Huffington Post     First Posted: 06/07/11 02:49 BST   Updated: 03/09/11 11:12 BST

London has long been considered the divorce capital of the world for its high concentration of big-money settlements awarded to the poorer spouse in a split--usually the ex-wife, barring some notable exceptions--which have been known to climb into the hundreds of millions.

A recent ruling in the divorce of German-born, London-based heiress, Katrin Radmacher, strengthened the status of prenuptial agreements in British law, which generally doesn't recognise such contracts. The ruling, which validated Radmacher's prenuptial agreement and minimized her ex-husband's settlement, could set a precedent for future limitations on London's generally large payouts.

If these 10 divorce settlements are any indication, however, for the time being at least, hefty divorce payouts are very much alive and well in London.

Click through our picks and weigh in: Is London still the divorce capital of the world?

Adnan And Soraya Khashoggi
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Saudi arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi was considered the richest man in the world in the 1980s, but after his divorce with native Brit Soraya Khashoggi--nee Sandra Daly--it was impossible for him to maintain the same privileged title. Their 1982 split resulted in an estimated £543.8 million settlement. Although Soraya Khashoggi kept her married name, according to a 2007 Daily Mail article, she was apparently unable to hold onto her fortune--thanks to lavish spending habits, she now lives modestly as a flower-seller in London.
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London has long been considered the divorce capital of the world for its high concentration of big-money settlements awarded to the poorer spouse in a split--usually the ex-wife, barring some notable ...
London has long been considered the divorce capital of the world for its high concentration of big-money settlements awarded to the poorer spouse in a split--usually the ex-wife, barring some notable ...
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
astraia
Romney: NONE & DONE!
589 Fans
 
02:03 PM on 07/31/2011
#8 ???
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
wardropper
New empty micro-bio
2795 Fans
12:58 PM on 07/12/2011
Does anybody care?
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noob1
29 Fans
05:31 AM on 07/07/2011
Yes, women are not at all like boats, when an inflatable gets useless & old, you get a new woman, eh!
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An Independent Woman
Honni soit que mal y pense
646 Fans
02:57 AM on 07/07/2011
I think if you would've shown Bernie Ecclestone a picture of he and his Amazonian wife before she became his wife, he would have realized the marriage would have been doomed. Next time, take a picture with your future spouse. If he/she seems out of line with you, don't marry them. Oh come on! You know it's true! :)
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
MMMMarilyn
477 Fans
05:26 PM on 07/07/2011
A billionaire.
Now there's a shocker!
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ESJ247
I eat micro-bio with milk.
595 Fans
09:20 PM on 07/06/2011
When will fat ugly men learn that hot young woman only like them for their money?
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
cadawa
2061 Fans
 
08:19 PM on 07/06/2011
My my. It's rather a depressing litany of where modern societies bestow the lion's share of their wealth, 3 sport's 'entrepreneurs', insurance executives, predatory business men, Middle Eastern princes, US pop stars and Perestroika (shock doctrine) billionaires. The women didn't seem to make out as well as one would have thought.
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longtimegone
my micro-bio remains empty
459 Fans
11:26 PM on 07/10/2011
Cutting through the fluff, right down to the bone. It is depressing indeed.
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MSOLdn
0 Fans
04:24 PM on 07/06/2011
I wonder how much of Soraya Khashoggi's divorce settlement was in hard assets, and how much of it was in IOUs from her ex-husband? Adnan Khashoggi is known for living on the edge financially, and for superficially living a very high-end lifestyle which far exceeds his actual ability to pay.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
farmerlady
Blonde, Democratic socialist, and unwilling expat
2196 Fans
02:41 PM on 07/06/2011
The first one got over $500 million---and spent it all?

I wouldn't even know how to manage that. I literally could not spend that kind of money. I would have no idea what to blow it on. Millions of bottles of champagne? Thousands of cars, hundreds of yachts, dozens of houses? What?

Sheeesh.
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HUFFPOST SUPER USER
WSAY
Res ipsa loquitur
1458 Fans
03:35 PM on 07/06/2011
You only say that because you have never lived like that. It is not as hard as you think.
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Howard53545
221 Fans
 
10:40 AM on 07/06/2011
Dudes, you got to pay for these hotties. You will never learn, booty costs.
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TonyRoeDivorce
17 Fans
 
09:33 AM on 07/06/2011
"Divorce Capital London" is a bit old hat. Many in the provinces need specialist advice too. Their needs & their children's are crucial. Ordinary families face much greater hardship than celebrities and the focus should be on them. Tony Roe. www.tonyroesolicitors.com @tonyroedivorce
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