Date for Madonna and Ritchie divorce

12:04am Friday 21st November 2008

Madonna and her film director husband Guy Ritchie are to be divorced on Friday, it has been revealed.

Their case - Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S - is listed before District Judge Reid under the "quickie" divorce procedure.

Their decree nisi is to be announced at 10am in Court 10 of the Principal Registry of the High Court's Family Division.

It is not necessary for the couple to attend the proceedings in High Holborn, central London.

The hearing is likely to last a matter of minutes. Both parties are entitled to attend if they wish but in most high profile celebrity cases, the divorcing couple choose not to. There was no immediate comment from Madonna's spokeswoman.

The Evening Standard newspaper in London reported that Ritchie has refused to take a penny of Madonna's fortune, estimated at £300 million. Ritchie, who has had a successful career in his own right, is believed to be worth around £30 million.

The Standard reported that a source said the couple's two boys - Rocco, eight and three-year-old adopted David Band will split their time between Britain and the US. The newspaper reported that Lourdes, 12, Madonna's child from an earlier relationship, will remain with her.

The couple announced they were splitting on October 15, ending months of speculation. Film director Ritchie, 40, married Madonna seven years ago at a lavish ceremony in Scotland.

But rumours circulated in recent months that their relationship was increasingly under strain. According to a previous report in the Sun, Madonna wanted to wait until the end of her Sticky and Sweet global tour before announcing the split.

But the date has now been brought forward, with both parties wanting a divorce finalised before Christmas, it claimed.