Sir Paul McCartney is poised to make a multimillion-pound settlement with his estranged wife before a court hearing next week, according to reports.
The former Beatle has offered Heather Mills £55 million, including a £20 million lump sum, if she agrees to a clause preventing her from talking publicly about the marriage, a newspaper claimed.
The offer comes three days before the couple are due to meet at the High Court in a private hearing expected to last a week. Ms Mills is due to represent herself. She has had no legal representation since November, when her lawyers at Mishcon de Reya dropped her case after she appeared on television comparing herself to Diana, Princess of Wales, and Kate McCann, mother of the missing Madeleine. Another report quoted sources from Ms Mills’s camp suggesting that she would accept £10 million.
There have been prolonged negotiations since the couple announced their separation in May 2006. The £55 million proposal is similar to sums mentioned at their financial dispute resolution in October.
Under the agreement Ms Mills would receive £2.5 million a year for 14 years, until their daughter Beatrice turns 18. Ms Mills would never be allowed to discuss in public the breakdown of the six-year marriage.
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The former model would be Beatrice’s main carer, but Sir Paul would have equal visiting rights. He would retain the marital home and his homes in Sussex, Scotland, New York and Los Angeles.
If Ms Mills accepts the deal — worth 7 per cent of Sir Paul’s £825 million fortune — it would be the highest settlement for a wife in Britain.