Mills and McCartney can't work it out on divorce

Oct 12, 2007, 15:41 GMT

A file photo of Sir Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney at the Fifth Annual Adopt-A-Minefield Gala, 15 November 2005 at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California. Ex-Beatle Paul McCartney and Heather Mills were 11 October 2007 locked for eight hours in a London courtroom with their lawyers and a judge seeking to hammer out a divorce settlement which could be the highest in British legal history. EPA/ARMANDO ARORIZO

London - Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have failed to work out a divorce settlement through mediation, giving rise to speculation that the celebrity couple could end up with a messy and public legal fight over the former Beatle's millions.

British media reports said Friday that Sir Paul, 65, and Mills, 39, were still 'miles and miles apart' after their attempt to reach an out-of-court settlement in a strictly private 10-hour session with lawyers and a judge at the High Court in London Thursday.

'It was a tense and difficult day. They are civil for the sake of their daughter but they are both sticking to their guns. Anyone who expected a clean break doesn't know the two parties very well,' an unnamed 'insider' told the Daily Mirror newspaper Friday.

'The next few days will tell us whether they are either really close to a deal or it will become out-and-out war,' divorce lawyer Vanessa Lloyd-Platt said.

The next stage would be a full court hearing where potentially damaging claims and counter claims would be aired in the full glare of publicity, she added.

The fight for Sir Paul's millions has become Britain's most keenly-watched divorce battle, as it promises to make legal history with a record payout.

Sir Paul and Mills, an ex-model and his wife of four years, left the court separately late Thursday.

While Mills took cover behind sheets and cardboard to shield her from the cameras, Sir Paul drove away flashing his customary V for victory sign.

In contrast to Mill's grim expression, Sir Paul gave a faint smile as he was driven away.

Minutes later he was spotted in the company of actress Gwyneth Paltrow at a star-studded art gallery opening in central London.

His three children from his first marriage, Stella, James and Mary, were at their father's side in a demonstrative show of support.

The children from Sir Paul's marriage to Linda Eastman, who died of breast cancer in 1998, have always been said to have been opposed to their father's second marriage.

Mills, who has an artificial leg after she was hit by a police motorbike in London in 1993, came to court in a wheelchair.

'It wasn't a calculated bid for sympathy. Heather has been in quite a lot of pain and her leg has been quite bruised and swollen,' a friend explained.

Sir Paul and Mills, who announced their separation after a four- year marriage in May, 2006 had been expected to hammer out a final settlement of the ex-Beatle's estimated fortune of 825 million pounds (1.6 billion dollars).

Unconfirmed reports said Mills was seeking a settlement of 50 million pounds, while Sir Paul was prepared to offer 15 million, with an extra 3 million a year until their daughter, Beatrice, nearly 4, reaches her 18th birthday.

Custody rights for Beatrice and mutual agreement on a confidentiality clause are the two main sticking points that have led to the stalemate, the Times said Friday.

While Sir Paul demanded complete confidentiality, Mills wanted to 'feel free' to discuss the terms of any deal, as well as their marriage.

To ensure secrecy in courtroom 16, a spyhole on the door was covered up with paper and a barricade of chairs prevented access to the room.

The estranged couple's efforts to keep their divorce battle, and an eventual settlement, secret, could be in jeopardy if the current process of mediation fails, legal experts said.

Under a process known as financial dispute resolution, the judge is presented with the 'full picture of both parties' assets' and any offers put on the table by either side.

If no agreement is reached, the case goes to a full hearing at the High Court, which could take place early next year.