Prenuptial agreements have been recognised as enforceable under British divorce law for the first time, in a supreme court ruling today.
Judges found in favour of the 40-year-old German heiress Katrin Radmacher, who had sought to protect her £106m fortune in the eventuality of a marriage breakdown.
Radmacher and her French ex-husband, Nicolas Granatino, 38, a former investment banker, had signed a prenuptial agreement before their wedding in London in 1998. The agreement stipulated that neither party would benefit financially if the marriage ended.
By ruling that such contracts are legally binding, the supreme court has altered the landscape of divorce settlements. It is likely to be a severe blow to the UK's reputation as the "divorce capital of Europe".