The announcement by Bill and Milinda Gates that they are parting ways after 27 years of marriage came as a rude shock to their admirers across the world who considered them a perfect and adorable couple. In a joint statement posted on Twitter, the couple said: “After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage." When it comes to the super-rich couples of the world, their weddings, as well as divorces, are equally expensive. Bill Gates' divorce with his wife Melinda is all set to become the world's most expensive divorce as it is estimated at US$127 billion though the details are still unknown. Before Gates' divorce, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos' divorce with wife MacKenzie Scott, at US$38 billion, was the most expensive divorce in history. Here're the 10 most expensive divorce settlements of all time:
1. Jeff Bezos and Mackenzie Scott: $38bn - The couple met while working at hedge fund DE Shaw, and Scott subsequently helped Bezos launch global marketplace Amazon. In April 2019, the couple announced the terms of their divorce. She received a four per cent stake in Amazon worth more than $35bn, the value of which has rocketed over the past year.
2. Alec and Jocelyn Wildenstein: $2.5bn - Prior to the Bezos/Scott settlement, Jocelyn Wildenstein’s settlement of $2.5bn and $100 million each year for 13 years afterwards from her billionaire art dealer husband Alec in 1999 was the biggest in history.
3. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Maria Mann: $1.7bn - Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and Anna Maria Mann married in the 1960s and were together for 32 years, in which time they had three children together. The couple split in 1998 and divorced the following year, at which point Mann received $1.7bn in the settlement, which included $110m in cash.
4. Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone: $1.2 billion - The 2009 divorce between billionaire Bernie Ecclestone, now 88, and wife Slavica, a Croatia-born former model, was at the time thought to be the most expensive in history — in the range of $4 billion. However, the final settlement between Ecclestone and Slavica, now 60, is estimated by various reports to be in the range of $1 billion to $1.2 billion.
5. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Hamm: $1bn - In 2012, Harold Hamm, the CEO of Continental Resources, and his wife Sue Ann Hamm filed for divorce after 24 years of marriage. In November 2014, Hamm was ordered to pay his ex-wife nearly $1bn, with CNBC noting that $322.7m of the fortune was expected to be paid that same year.
6. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi: $874 Million - Although they filed for divorce in 1974, it took Soraya Khashoggi until 1979 to sue — to the tune of $2.54 billion — her ex-husband, Saudi billionaire entrepreneur and arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi. In 1982, the couple agreed to a settlement that reportedly landed British-born Soraya (nee Sandra Daly) $874 million.
7. Steven and Elaine Wynn: $741 million - In March 2010, Las Vegas casino mogul Steve Wynn filed for divorce from wife Elaine and had to pay an estimated $741 million in Wynn Resorts stock.
8. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovleva: $604 Million - Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and his ex-wife, businesswoman and socialite Elena Rybolovleva, separated after 26 years of marriage in 2008. Six years later, a Swiss court ordered Rybolovlev to pay his ex $4.8 billion. Rybolovleva’s windfall was not to be, however; in 2015, the court in Geneva reversed its decision and reduced her award to 564 million Swiss Francs.
9. Craig and Wendy McCaw: $460 Million - The Seattle-area businessman was the founder of McCaw Cellular and Clearwire Corp. He split with former wife Wendy in 1998, just a few years after selling the McCaw Cellular to AT&T for between $11 billion and $12 billion. The settlement saw Wendy receive most of her $460 million payouts in Nextel stock.
10. Mel and Robyn Gibson: $425 million - Mel Gibson reportedly handed over half of his $850 million fortune when his split with his wife of 31 years, Robyn, was finalized in December 2011. Robyn reportedly is entitled to half of Mel’s wealth, as well as any future residuals from his films.
