Sure, all of us want our marriages to last forever. But sometimes, forever comes with a date. We have to swallow the heartbreak pill and move on.
It hurts to lose someone you love & it hurts, even more, when it comes to a hefty expense. We have listed down the stories of people who lost someone they loved, and it came with expensive divorce settlements.
1. Bill and Melinda Gates: $73 billion
The couple met in 1987 and got married in 1994. After 27 years of marriage, Bill & Melinda decided to part ways, as they no longer felt they could grow together as a couple. They also shared a lot in their professional life, as they run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Bill & Melinda are now officially divorced with a settlement worth $73 billion.
2. Elon Musk and Talulah Riley: $16 million
Tesla Ceo, Elon Musk was first married to Justine. He later married Talulah Riley and divorced her twice. Talulah received $4.2 million when they first divorced. Perhaps they reconciled and married a year later. But again in 2015, Elon filed a divorce and agreed to pay a $16 million settlement.
3. Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum and Princess Haya Bint Al-Hussain: $730 million
United Arab Emirates Prime Minister and Ruler of the Emirate of Dubai, Mohammed Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum, and Haya Bint Al-Hussain were recently divorced. The Dubai ruler will pay $730 million as the settlement amount, making it the most expensive divorce settlement in UK legal history.
4. Adnan and Soraya Khashoggi: $874 million
The late Saudi billionaire Adnan Khashoggi married Soraya Khashoggi. After 13 years of marriage, the couple decided to part ways with a divorce settlement of $874 million in 1982.
5. Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev: $604 million
Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev and Elena Rybolovlev split in 2008, after being married for 26 years. Reportedly, after a lot of negotiations, Rybolovlev had to pay $604 million as the final settlement.
6. Alec Wildenstein and Jocelyn Wildenstein: $380 million
French-American businessman, art dealer Alec Wildenstein divorced Jocelyn Wildenstein in 1999. After 21 years of marriage, they decided to split with a settlement of $380 million.
7. Bernie Ecclestone and Slavica Radić: $1.2 billion
Formula One executive Bernie Ecclestone, one of the richest people in the UK, and Slavica Radić were married for 23 years. In 2009, the couple filed for divorce and made a settlement worth $1.2 billion.
8. Jeff Bezos and MacKenzie Scott: $38 billion
In 2019, Amazon founder, CEO Jeff Bezos and American Novelist MacKenzie Scott announced their divorce. They were married for more than 25 years. It is also stated that the divorce made MacKenzie Scott the third-richest woman in the world. MacKenzie received $38 billion as a part of the settlement.
9. Steve and Elaine Wynn: $1 billion
The casino moguls, who founded the Mirage and Wynn resorts in Las Vegas, married in 1963. They were married twice- from 1963 to 1986 and from 1991 to 2010. Elaine received $1 billion as the settlement amount.
10. Harold Hamm and Sue Ann Arnall: $975 million
Married for 24 years, the couple split in 2012. The oil magnate Harold Hamm and his wife Sue Ann Arnall made a settlement worth $975 million.
11. Craig and Wendy McCaw: $460 million
Cellular and Clearwire founder Craig McCaw and Wendy parted ways in 1998. They made a settlement worth $460 million.
12. Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl: $125 million
The music icon Garth Brooks and Sandy Mahl got married in 1986. After staying 15 years together the couple parted on amicable terms. Reportedly, Sandy Mahl said they had simply grown apart and received a settlement of an estimated $125 million.
13. Rupert Murdoch and Anna Mann: $1.7 billion
This divorce is considered the costliest one in history. Media mogul Rupert Murdoch and former journalist Anna Torv Mann were divorced in 1998. The couple was married for more than 30 years and had three children together.
14. Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey: $150 Million
Neil Diamond and Marcia Murphey were divorced after 25 years of marriage in 1994. Marcia was Neil’s second and they made a settlement worth $150 million.
