Now that it has apparently been confirmed that Bernie and Slavica Ecclestone are to divorce, family lawyers are speculating that Slavica could finish up with the largest sum yet awarded in our divorce courts.

Bernie Ecclestone, who famously owns Formula One motor racing, is reputed to be worth an eye-watering £2.4bn, He wed Croatian model Slavica 24 years ago, when he was in his fifties and she in her twenties. They have two grown-up daughters, Tamara and Petra, and were living together in a Chelsea property worth £10m until Slavica moved out.

This happened just about the time that Lewis Hamilton was securing the world championship in the Brazilian Grand Prix. Her representative announced that she was seeking a divorce. Initially, that appeared to take Bernie by surprise: he said she had moved simply to escape the noise and disturbance caused by building works in a neighbouring property.

However, the separation has now been confirmed and both parties are said to be instructing lawyers. For a celebrity couple to stick together for 24 years nowadays is a rarity. The length of a marriage is one of the most crucial factors which must be taken into consideration by the court when it comes to a decision about the division of property and assets.

This makes the Ecclestone divorce very different from the high profile spat between Paul McCartney and his ex Heather Mills. Their marriage had lasted only a few brief years.

So it looks more than possible that Slavica will be the recipient of the biggest payout in the history of our divorce courts. This is not the only aspect of the split which might turn out to be a problem for Bernie.

Many people of fabulous wealth, in order to arrange their tax affairs to maximum advantage, make arrangements to transfer huge sums of money into the names of their wives during the course of their marriages.

There is nothing illegal about this procedure, but it can give rise to difficulties during court hearings in relation to property and finance. Because when this has happened lawyers may not be permitted to argue that the transfers were not intended to be outright gifts to the wives, which they could be entitled to retain.

Consequently, this is a case which family lawyers will be watching with fascinated interest. As with all divorces, Bernie and Slavica would be well advised to try to negotiate a financial settlement away from the court room. Macca and Heather did not succeed in their efforts to do that; a better example to follow would be what was achieved by Madonna and Guy Ritchie.

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