Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorced after 5 years, 9 months of marriage. The settlement was reportedly about $49M. See the full timeline.
Figures are reported estimates. Last updated Oct 2026.
Mills sought about £125 million (around $250 million); the High Court awarded her £24.3 million, including her existing assets.
Paul McCartney, the former Beatle and one of the best-selling musicians in history, and Heather Mills, a former model and campaigner for the victims of landmines, met in 1999 at an awards ceremony. Mills, who lost part of a leg in a road accident in 1993, ran charities for amputees. They married on 11 June 2002 at Glenveagh Castle in Ireland and had a daughter, Beatrice, in 2003. McCartney had been widowed in 1998 after the death of his first wife, Linda, and the marriage was greeted with mixed feelings by the British press.
McCartney's fortune, estimated at around £400 million at the time, came from his work with the Beatles and his solo career, which included Wings, as well as from his ownership of valuable music publishing rights, including the catalogs of Buddy Holly and other artists. His concert tours earned tens of millions of pounds, and he also had a share in the Beatles' catalog. Mills's wealth was far smaller and was based on her charity work and modeling.
The marriage lasted four years before the couple announced their separation in May 2006. Divorce proceedings followed in 2006, and a High Court hearing took place in 2007 and 2008. Mr Justice Bennett gave his judgment on March 17, 2008, and the marriage was formally dissolved in May 2008. McCartney then married Nancy Shevell in 2011.
Mills had asked for about £125 million, and McCartney had offered £15.8 million. On March 17, 2008, the High Court judge awarded her £14 million plus £2.5 million to buy a house in London, which together with her existing assets of £7.8 million made up the £24.3 million that was reported, or about $48 million at the time. The judge assessed her income needs at £600,000 a year, and criticized her evidence as inaccurate and less than candid. McCartney was also ordered to pay for their daughter Beatrice's nanny and school fees and to pay £35,000 a year for her. The judge found McCartney's assets to be worth about £400 million, not the £800 million Mills had claimed.
English divorce law is based on fairness and the needs of the parties and the child, rather than a simple equal split. The relatively short marriage weighed against a larger award, and the judge's criticism of Mills's evidence was important in reducing her claim to a fraction of what she demanded.
McCartney's wealth and his career were not significantly damaged. He continued to record and tour and, in the following years, headlined Glastonbury in 2022 and set new records for live concerts. Mills founded a vegan food company and continued to campaign for charities. The legal bills in the case were large, but the divorce did not harm McCartney's music catalog or publishing interests.
The McCartney case is often cited as a high-profile example of a court limiting an award well below what the claimant had demanded. By contrast with the Gibson or Jordan cases, which resulted in sums computed on a division of assets, the English courts decided on the basis of need and fairness. It remains one of the best-known divorces in British legal history.
The couple's wedding was attended by many celebrities, and was held in a castle in County Donegal. During the proceedings, the judge noted that Mills had made inaccurate claims. McCartney's first wife, Linda, died of breast cancer in 1998. The £24.3 million total includes her existing assets of £7.8 million, so the new money was about £16.5 million.
Heather Mills's reported settlement was about $49 million.
They married in 2002 and divorced in 2008, a marriage of roughly 6 years.
No prenuptial agreement was reported.
Yes, the family is reported to include 1 children.
£35,000 per year for daughter Beatrice.
Reported assets include: Cash, property, music royalties.
English law on divorce was influenced by the principle of fairness, and the court examined the needs of Mills and the child. The relatively short length of the marriage, however, weighed against a larger award, and Mills had not contributed to McCartney's wealth in a way that the court regarded as significant.