Reuters

McCartney-Mills thrash out divorce deal

Updated 23.20 Mon Feb 11 2008

Keywords: divorce, courts, Heather Mills, Sir Paul McCartney

Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have been in court thrashing out what could be the largest divorce settlement in British history.

But there was no sign of a deal after the first of a scheduled five days in Court 34 at the High Court in London.

Sir Paul left the court with a polite but firm "No comment" ahead of his estranged wife who is said to be representing herself in court

Sir Paul, 66, left the court with a polite but firm "No comment" ahead of his estranged wife, who is said to be representing herself in court.

There has been speculation among divorce experts, based on recent big money cases, that the settlement could reach £60 million - exceeding the record £48 million payout by businessman John Charman to his former wife in May last year.

But unless one of them takes issue with the settlement being hammered out behind closed doors and goes to the Court of Appeal, the figures and details may never be known to the outside world.

Ms Mills, 40, arrived at court in a black Mercedes which came to rest in a disabled parking space alongside the court complex.

The former model, who lost part of a leg in a road accident in 1993, was ushered from behind the tinted windows of the vehicle and headed for the nearby court, its windows covered to stop anyone seeing in.

Sir Paul arrived a few minutes later, smiling and looking relaxed but declining to comment on the hearing.

In the face of intense media interest - with scores of photographers and journalists hovering around the entrances of the Royal Courts of Justice in The Strand, central London - Ms Mills said nothing.

Sir Paul managed "Good morning".

The former Beatle and Ms Mills are battling over money and access to their child, four-year-old Beatrice, after a marriage that lasted less than four years.

They married in June 2002, four years after Sir Paul's first wife Linda, whom he married in 1969, died of breast cancer.

Lawyers agree there are many imponderables which could limit Ms Mills' payout, including the shortness of the marriage and the fact that the bulk of Sir Paul's fortune of £825m was amassed long before the couple met.