Multi-million divorce settlements ever: Dubai ruler latest in the list

A British court ordered the ruler of Dubai to pay his ex-wife and their children almost 550 million pounds ($730 million) in one of the most expensive divorce settlements in British history. Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum must pay 251.5 million pounds to his sixth wife, Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein, according to a High Court ruling.

It also ordered to provide continuous payments for their daughters Jalila, 14, and Zayed, 9, backed by a bank guarantee of 290 million pounds. The total sum the children get might be more or less than 290 million pounds, depending on circumstances such as how long they live and if they reconcile with their father.

The settlement includes 11 million pounds per year to pay security expenditures for Princess Haya and the children while they are minors.

Bill and Melinda Gates ($73 billion)

After 27 years of marriage, the generous couple announced their shocking divorce on May 3, 2021. According to court filings, the two had a private separation agreement but no prenuptial agreement in place — and because they spent so much of their working life together, untangling their assets might be difficult.

They own multiple homes, including a $130.88 million waterfront property in Medina, Washington, and a $43 million home in Del Mar, California. Forbes assessed Bill's net worth to be $130.5 billion.

The pair is the founders of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, one of the world's most influential non-profit organisations, which spends $5 billion each year battling poverty, sickness, and inequality worldwide. Mrs Gates is projected to be worth $73 billion if they split their assets evenly, making the divorce the most costly in history.

Also Read | Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates officially divorced after 27 years of marriage

MacKenzie Scott and Jeff Bezos ($38 billion)

Given that Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos was declared the world's richest man in June 2018, his divorce from his wife of 25 years, MacKenzie Scot, was costly.
Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the world's richest man, settled his divorce from his wife of over 26 years for $38 billion.

Bezos declared that he would keep 75% of the company's stock, while his ex-wife would receive a 4% interest.

Also Read | Jeff Bezos donates $100 million to Obama foundation in honour of John Lewis

Dmitry and Elena Rybolovlev ($604 million)

Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and his wife Elena divorced after 26 years of marriage in 2008. Several years later, a Swiss court ordered Rybolovlev to pay $4.5 billion to his ex-wife. However, following discussions, the ultimate amount was cut to little more than $600 million. Rybolovlev now has a net worth of $10.8 billion.

Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi ($874 million)

Adnan Khashoggi, the late Saudi businessman, gave his ex-wife a $874 million divorce settlement in 1982. At its peak, the pair had three aircraft, three boats, and 17 houses worldwide.