Marry rich but divorce even richer – that’s the way to join the ranks of the super-wealthy.
Divorce has paid well for several women in Britain whose settlements have seen them walk from court with hundreds of millions of pounds.
Slavica Ecclestone topped the Sunday Times’ Rich List in the ‘richest divorcees’ category after she was awarded an estimated £740million in 2009 in her divorce from Formula One boss Bernie Ecclestone when their 23-year marriage ended on the grounds of his ‘unreasonable behaviour’.
Coming in second was Irina Malandina who walked away with a reported £155million in 2007 from her divorce to Russian Roman Abramovich, one of the richest men in the world, after 16 years of marriage and five children together.
Glamorous former Bosnian refugee Diana Jenkins got a sizeable chunk of her ex-husband Roger Jenkins’ fortune he made as a tax expert at Barclays Bank, pocketing an estimated £150million after her ten-year marriage.
The estranged couple called their 2011 split as ‘the happiest divorce ever’ and last year she joined him among Britain’s wealthiest 500 individuals as a result.
Galina Besharova made her millions in seconds, awarded £100million in a 45-second divorce to the late Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky in 2011 while Beverley Charman also made the top ten when she received a record-breaking £48million in 2006 after her split from millionaire businessman John Charman.
Ayesha Vardag from Vardags told The Times: ‘In England today, the single easiest way for an attractive woman to make her fortune is to marry a very rich man and then divorce him a few years later, preferably after having a child.’
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Family partner at Withers Mark Harper said: 'Since 2000, divorce in England has been about sharing the fruits of the marital partnership.
'Those fruits have grown rich and luscious with the growth in international wealth and so wives divorcing in England have benefittted from the change in the law to a percentage division in assets.'
Divorce pays well: Irina Malandina (left) walked away with a reported £155million after her split from Roman Abramovich, one of the richest men in the world, while Diana Jenkins (right) pocketed an estimated £150million after 'the happiest divorce ever' from tax expert Roger Jenkins
Divorcee dollars: Galina Besharova (right) made £100million in a 45-second divorce to late Russian oligrach Boris Berezovsky and Beverley Charman (left) made the top ten after she was awarded a record-breaking £48million in 2006
MULTI-MILLION POUND DIVORCE: ONE QUICK WAY TO MAKE THE RICH LIST
Slavica Ecclestone: £740million after divorcing Bernie Ecclestone in 2009
Irina Malandina: £155million after divorcing Roman Abramovich in 2007
Diana Jenkins: £150million after divorcing Roger Jenkins in 2011.
Galina Besharova: £100million after divorcing Boris Berezovsky in 2011.
Beverley Charman: £48million after divorcing John Charman.
Sally Croker-Poole: £40million after divorcing Aga Khan in 1994
Porn baron Paul Raymond’s grand-daughter India Rose James, 21, was named the youngest person to make the Rich List.
Her £329million fortune, which she shares with her sister Fawn, makes them technically richer than the Queen. She lives an indulgent and extravagant party lifestyle after benefiting from her grandfather’s will.
According to the Sunday Times Rich List 2013, when their grandfather died in 2008, Miss James and her sister Fawn, 27, inherited 80 per cent of his money and businesses.
Raymond built up his fortune launching the country’s first topless dancing club and introducing top-shelf magazines to the UK.
The sisters now share a £329million fortune, up £12million on last year, and are the biggest landlords in London’s entertainment centre.
The best-off continue to defy the economic gloom, with the collective wealth of the most affluent 1,000 now hitting a record £450billion, up £35.4billion on last year.
A record 118 women, collectively worth £55.287billion, are now among the 1,000 richest people in Britain.
Former Miss UK Kirsty Bertarelli, whose family fortune stands at £7.4billion, is the wealthiest woman in the rich list.
Young money: India Rose James (right) was named the youngest person to make the Rich List, sharing an inheritance from their grandfather porn baron Paul Raymond with sister Fawn (left)
Grandfather's fortune: The sisters inherited 80 per cent of their grandfather's (pictured centre) fortune which he built up launching the country's first topless dancing club and introducing top-shelf magazines to Britain
Russian oligarchs are three of the five wealthiest, including the top two positions.
Alisher Usmanov, a part-owner of Arsenal football club, was named the most affluent person in the country with a £13.3billion fortune. The second richest is another Russian oligarch, Len Blavatnik, who is worth £11billion.
Aristocrats are being squeezed out of the super-rich club by the new money from overseas, with the highest ranked member of the landed gentry, the Duke of Westminster, falling to his lowest position yet after his worth £7.8billion placed him eighth in the list.
Adele has been named the richest young musician in the country for a second year following the success of her song for the James Bond film Skyfall. The singer is worth £30million – up £10million on last year.
Russian riches: Billionaire Alisher Usmanov (pictured with his wife), a part-owner of Arsenal football club was named the most affluent person in the country with a £13.3billion fortune