Heather Mills to get $50million in divorce settlement

Heather Mills is set to receive a $50million chunk of Paul McCartney's fortune, it was claimed today.

Details of the settlement — roughly $8 million for every year the former glamor model was married to the 65-year-old music legend — are said to be contained in a preliminary High Court judgment sent to the estranged couple and their legal advisers this week.

The official verdict will be handed down on Monday, reports London's Evening Standard newspaper, citing a source close to the case which has dragged on for two years. "The judgment has been made," he said.

"The parties involved received their copies this week. On an analysis of the case law Mills was always going to receive around 25 million pounds ($50m). It's fair to say the judge has not erred from that."

It is not clear whether that sum includes provision for the couple's daughter Beatrice, who was born in 2003.

Former Beatle Paul married Heather, 40, in 2002, four years after his first wife, Linda, died from breast cancer. They announced an "amicable" split in May 2006, but their dealings since have been fairly hostile.

The pair have been in discussions ever since to decide how much former model turned charity campaigner Mills would receive from his fortune - which according to several rich lists is around $1.65bn.

The huge sum — one of the largest for a British divorce — is less than some reports had speculated. But it still represents a generous settlement for such a short marriage.

A summary of Mr Justice Bennett's findings are also expected to be made public, ending almost two years of often wild speculation about the size of Ms Mills' payout.

Both parties are expected to be pleased with the outcome