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Pop queen Madonna's split with her director husband Guy Ritchie got the legal stamp on Friday after the High Court in London granted them a preliminary divorce. Madonna and Ritchie did not attend the hearing.
The "decree nisi" was pronounced by District Judge Caroline Reid after the couple agreed not to demand a financial settlement from each other, the Telegraph reported. The divorce will become final after a period of six weeks and a day.

Their case - Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S - was listed before District Judge Reid and was announced in Court 10 of the Principal Registry of the High Court's Family Division, the paper said.

The 50-year-old singer and her 40-year-old British filmmaker husband had announced their decision to separate in mid-October after a marriage of eight-years.

The duo had married in lavish ceremony in 2001. Madonna will keep most of her USD 440 million fortune after Ritchie said he did not want "any of her money".

They have also agreed to share custody of their two boys, eight-year-old Rocco and three-year-old adopted David Banda.

Under the British law, Ritchie, whose fortune is estimated at some 30 million pounds, could have claimed to half of Madonna's wealth earned during their seven and a half year marriage but he reportedly rejected the offer.

The bone of contention between the high profile couple were their two children, with both of them wanting to keep the children.

Madonna and Ritchie will now share the custody of their children, who will divide their time between New York with their mother and London with their father.

Madonna's 12-year-old daughter Lourdes, from a previous relationship, will live in America with her mother. Ritchie will, however, keep the couple's 1,200 acre estate in Wiltshire - reported to be worth 12 million pound - and the Punchbowl Pub in Mayfair.

Initial reports had suggested that the divorce was headed for yet another bitter celebrity court drama on the line of the Sir Paul McCartney's acrimonious separation from Heather Mills because Ritchie wanted a pie from singer's fortune but Ritchie later he was not interested in Madonna's money.

The singer had hired Fiona Shackleton, who represented Sir Paul McCartney's case while Ritchie had hired Lady Helen Ward and Stephen Cobb, QC, one of the top children's lawyers in Britain.

According to close friends Madonna's desire to adopt another child had been a source of friction between the couple.

Madonna is currently on the American leg of her "Sticky and Sweet" tour, while Ritchie is working on his latest film "Sherlock Holmes", starring Jude Law.

Their children Rocco and David are currently with their father and the eldest boy was seen on the "Sherlock Holmes" set.

source:screenindia.com