Top 9 Most Expensive Divorces In the World

Ending a marriage is hard, and often takes months or years to finalise.

The split of Bill and Melinda Gates, who are worth $146 billion, will probably be one of the largest divorce settlements in history due to the sheer size of their fortune.

Mr Gates, 65, is the fourth-wealthiest person in the world behind Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Bernard Arnault, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index.

Court documents submitted by Mrs Gates, 56, a copy of which was published by website TMZ, revealed that the couple previously signed a separation agreement, which provides a framework on how to move forward with the divorce.

The Gates family resides in Washington state, where divorce law is governed by a principle called community property.

All assets acquired by either party during a marriage are typically split equally during divorce in the absence of a prenuptial agreement.

The couple run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the most influential non-profit organisations in the world that spends $5bn annually on fighting poverty, disease and inequality around the world.

If they split their fortune equally, Mrs Gates is estimated to be worth $73bn, making the divorce the most expensive in the world to date.

The Microsoft founder’s wife filed the divorce documents on May 3 after 27 years of marriage.

“This marriage is irretrievably broken. We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract,” the court document read.

The Gates began dating in 1987 and wed on January 1, 1994, in Hawaii. The couple have three children.

List of top 9 most expensive divorces in the world

9. Craig and Wendy McCaw - $460 Million

8. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev - $604 Million

7. Steven and Elaine Wynn - $741 Million

6. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi - $874 Million

5. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall - $975 Million

4. Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radić - $1.2 Billion

3. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Torv - $1.7 Billion

2. Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein - $3.8 Billion

1. Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos - $68 Billion

Detailed information oftop 9 most expensive dirvoces in the world

9. Craig and Wendy McCaw - $460 Million

Photo: Getty Images

The Craig McCaw Divorce marked the dissolution of the marriage between Criag McCae and Wendy McCaw; the Craig McCaw Divorce was finalized in 1997, which ended the 22-yearlong marriage – the couple met in the early 1970s during which time they were both undertaking study at Stanford University. Although the case of the Craig McCaw Divorce, which was considered by various media outlets as a celebrity, the impact of the dissolution of a union is thought to be universal; amongst the events and undertakings within a divorce proceeding, a divorce has the potential to elicit heightened emotions, such as sadness and loss.

8. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev - $604 Million

Photo: Getty Images

Elana Rybolovlev filed for divorce from her Russian billionaire husband, Dmitry Rybolovlev in 2008, citing that he was a serial adulterer Since Dmitry's $8.5 billion (in US currency) estate was up for grabs, a long court battle ensued between the spouses.

After six years of being in an out of court, Elena was awarded a monumental $4.5 billion judgment, much to her ex-husband's dismay. Had this judgment held up, it would have been the largest divorce settlement at that time. Unfortunately for Elana, she only ended up with a small percentage of the original judgment -- just under $600 million.

7. Steven and Elaine Wynn - $741 Million

Photo: Getty Images

Casino Mogul, Steve Wynn married his ex-wife, Elaine Wynn, twice -- first in 1963 when they first wed, then again in 1991, five years after their first divorce. The second stint of their marriage held up until 2010, meaning that the pair spent a total of forty-two years together as husband and wife.

When things went sour the second time, the result was one of the costliest payouts of all time. Elaine was awarded $1 billion in Wynn Casino stock, though the battle for control over her portion continues to this day.

6. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi - $874 Million

Photo: Getty Images

Adnon Khashigg (now deceased) a Saudi businessman who sold arms for the Saudi Royal family, first married in 1961. His wife at the time was an Englishwoman named Sandra Daly, who later converted to Islam and changed her name to Soraya Khashiggi.

During their time together, they enjoyed quite the lavish lifestyle, which Time reports included 17 homes, alone. None of it was enough to keep their love alive. Their marriage lasted just over a decade, until their divorce in 1974.

Soraya walked away with $874 million.

5. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall - $975 Million

Photo: Getty Images

Oil Tycoon, Harold Hamm's divorce to Sue Ann Arnall attracted much more media attention than either party probably would have liked. The couple's twenty-six-year marriage came to an end in 2015, but their battle over money would play out for months to come.

At the time of divorce, Harold Hamm's net worth sat around $18 billion. Even though much of that money accumulated during their nearly three-decade marriage, Harold argued that because it was made passively from investments he made before his relationship with Elena, she was not entitled to most of it.

Sue Ann, however, didn't agree and turned down a $975 million check from their settlement, citing that she was entitled to half and would appeal the decision. Eventually, she accepted and deposited the money.

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4. Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radić - $1.2 Billion

Photo: Getty Images

Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radic's divorce settlement is unlike the other couples on this list, where the breadwinner of the marriage doles out support to the lesser-earning spouse.

Even though Bernie Ecclestone's position as a Formula One executive contributed the majority of the money they shared as a married couple, Slavica, a model, was ordered to pay Bernie $1.2 billion. Things get tricky because the source of the money appears to come from a trust set in her name that Bernie set up.

Slavia pays out $100 million a year.

3. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Torv - $1.7 Billion

Photo: Hellomagazine

Rupert Murdoch, a critically-acclaimed media mogul, ended his second marriage to Anna Torv, and ended up paying out the third largest divorce settlement in history: $1.7 billion.

The couple married in 1967 and stayed together until their divorce in 1999. The reason for the split is said to have been Murdoch's refusal to retire when Torv requested. However, his relationship with Wendi Deng, who he would go on to marry just over two weeks after his divorce from Torv was finalized, has also been rumored to have been a contributing factor.

2. Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein - $3.8 Billion

Photo: Getty Images

Until 2019, famed art dealer, Alec Wildenstein's divorce to infamous socialite, Joceyln Wildenstein came with the unwanted label of the costliest divorce settlement in history, according to Telegraph.

The result of the divorce was an award of $2.5 billion plus an extra $100 million a year, for the next thirteen years.

1. Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos - $68 Billion

Photo: Evening Standard

Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos found himself as the subject of tabloid fodder, after his extramarital affair with Lauren Sanchez was exposed in 2018. Soon after, Jeff and his wife, Mackenzie, announced that they were splitting.

At the time, Jeff Bezos had a net worth of almost $150 billion. Considering Washington state's laws would allow Mackenzie to take half of the money unless a prenup was in place, people wondered whether or not the significant payout would impact Jeff's status as the richest man in the world.

Ultimately, Mackenzie walked away with $37.5 billion in Amazon stock and even with losing such a significant portion of his income, Jeff Bezos still holds more wealth than anyone else on the planet.

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