Whether they're royalty or rock stars, when the super-rich split there's only one person they want representing them: Baroness Fiona Shackleton of Belgravia, the most formidable divorce lawyer in the country.
Just as famous for her killer wardrobe as her killer touch, Fiona's determination to get her clients the best possible deal has earned her the nickname 'steel magnolia'.
And it's Fiona, 68, a partner at London legal practice Payne Hicks Beach, that Earl Spenceris said to have hired to represent him after announcing the end of his third marriage.
The split, which came as a shock to observers, ends a 13-year union between Spencer, 60, and Canadian philanthropist Countess Spencer, nee Karen Villeneuve, 52. The couple have one daughter, aged 11 – Spencer's seventh child.
Just as famous for her killer wardrobe as her killer touch, Baroness Shackleton's determination to get her clients the best possible deal has earned her the nickname 'steel magnolia'
It is understood Earl Spencer has hired Baroness Shackleton to represent him in his recently announced divorce from Countess Spencer, nee Karen Villeneuve (pictured)
Icily ruthless on behalf of her clients, Shackleton - who charges £550 per hour and is herself married to Ian Ridgeway Shackleton, a relative of the Antarctic explorer Sir Ernest - also acted for Spencer's sister, Princess Diana, in her divorce from the then-Prince of Wales.
These other famous cases show precisely why she's described by the prestigious Spear's Family Law Index as 'Britain's most feared and revered divorce lawyer'...
Isla Fisher vs Sacha Baron Cohen
Isla Fisher is said to have contacted Shackleton two years ago for advice over her split from Sacha Baron Cohen, but the couple only publicly announced their separation in April this year
The marriage: 14 years
According to Baron Cohen, the couple met at a 'pretentious' party in Sydney in 2001, and bonded over 'taking the mick' out of the other guests. They married nine years later in 2010 and now have three children – daughters Olive, 16 and Elula, 13, and son Montgomery, nine.
Threatened fortune: Sacha, 52, is reported to be worth £40million thanks to his famous satirical creations Ali G and Borat, while Fisher, 48, has surely accumulated a sizeable fortune too over a decade of starring in mainstream Hollywood films including The Great Gatsby and hit TV shows such as Arrested Development.
The divorce: Ongoing. Fisher is said to have asked Shackleton two years ago for advice over a split, but the couple only publicly announced their separation in April this year. It comes in the aftermath of actress Rebel Wilson's explosive claims in her memoir that Baron Cohen behaved inappropriately towards her on the set of his 2016 movie Grimsby, saying she felt like he 'had sexually harassed me'.
Baron Cohen strongly denied Wilson's claims.
Reportedly, Shackleton has advised Fisher to go down the 'amicable route' when it comes to a divorce and settlement.
Paul McCartney vs Heather Mills
After four years of marriage, Paul McCartney split from his second wife Heather Mills
The marriage: Four years
McCartney's first wife Linda, the mother of his eldest three children, died of breast cancer in May 1998 following 30 years of happy marriage. The former Beatle met former glamour model turned charity campaigner Heather Mills a year later at The Pride of Britain Awards.
They married in June 2002, though Sir Paul's family and friends were said not to approve of the singer's choice of bride. Their daughter, Beatrice, was born the following year.
Threatened fortune: £400 million including £34million in property, £32million in jewels, cars, horses and art and £34million in investments.
The divorce: The couple split after four years with Mills blaming Sir Paul's 'evil' designer daughter Stella for the break-up. Mills represented herself at the settlement hearing, with Shackleton acting for Sir Paul.
During the hearing Mills claimed she had been acting as a counsellor nursing him through his grief following the death of his first wife Linda in 1998, and that she had helped to revive his flagging career. She also claimed Sir Paul drank heavily and had been violent towards her, including stabbing her in the arm with broken glass and pushing her over when pregnant.
Sir Paul denied all claims. His only accusations towards Mills were that she had bugged his phone and sold stories about Stella to the press.
With Baroness Shackleton representing McCartney (pictured at the time), Mills was granted £24.3million in settlement - considerably less than the £125million she had demanded
The settlement: Mills demanded £125million, at one stage claiming she could not exist on less than £10k a day. Team McCartney's early offer of £15 million was rejected.
Mr Justice Bennett said Mills was 'wholly unrealistic' and rejected her claims that she had aided her husband's career. In March 2008 it was revealed she had been awarded a settlement worth £24.3million (plus £35,000 per year to cover nanny and school costs for daughter Beatrice). She was so furious with events that she threw a jug of water over Fiona Shackleton and accused her of 'letting down womankind'.
Madonna v Guy Ritchie
Baroness Shackleton was hired by Madonna for her split from Guy Ritchie in 2008
The marriage: Eight years
Actress Trudie Styler acted as matchmaker when she introduced Madonna to British film director Ritchie at a party she threw with husband Sting in 1999. Following a whirlwind romance, their son Rocco was born in August 2000 and in December of that year they married at Skibo Castle, Scotland. They adopted a second son, David, from Malawi in 2006.
Threatened fortune: Madonna's wealth was estimated at £300million when she was with Ritchie. He was worth in the region of £30million.
The divorce: Filed on the grounds of Ritchie's unreasonable behaviour, a quick divorce was granted in October 2008 with neither party appearing in court. Madonna, then residing in the UK, engaged Shackleton to act on her behalf to protect her fortune. Shackleton was able to negotiate an 'amicable settlement' even though it did cost Madonna £221,000 in fees.
The settlement: Estimated at around £35million. Ritchie was granted the 1,200 acre Wiltshire estate Ashcombe House (worth £20million at the time) plus The Punchbowl Pub in Mayfair (then worth around £3million) and was thought be awarded a further £12million - half the value of their west London home.
Prince Charles vs Princess Diana
With Baroness Shackleton representing her, Princess Diana's settlement in her divorce from then Prince Charles granted her a £17.5million lump sum and £400,000 per year
The marriage: 15 years
The then prince of Wales married 20-year-old Lady Diana Spencer in a fairytale wedding at St Paul's cathedral in 1981, watched by 750 million around the world. The couple had two children, Prince William born in 1982 and Prince Harry born in 1984.
Threatened fortune: The prince was thought to have an income of around £3.5 million (in 1996) from the Duchy of Cornwall plus a £2million stock exchange portfolio.
The divorce: Then prime minister John Major announced the Wales's separation to the House of Commons in 1992 stating they had no plans to divorce. But following Diana's famous Panorama interview in 1995, the Queen was reported to have ordered them to officially end the marriage, which they did in 1996 with Shackleton acting for Charles.
The settlement: Diana received a lump sum of £17.5million plus £400,000 per year. She was allowed to remain at her Kensington Palace apartment and have use of the royal family's private jets and helicopters. Charles's former financier Geoffrey Bignell later claimed the settlement had 'wiped out' Charles' fortune with Diana 'taking every penny he had'.
Alyce Faye Eichelberger vs John Cleese
Actor John Cleese said he had to go back on tour aged 70 after his divorce fromAlyce Faye Eichelberger - who had hired Baroness Shackleton - left his coffers depleted
The marriage: 15 years
Monty Python star Cleese married American psychotherapist Eichelberger in 1992. It was her second marriage and his third. They split their time between her native California and London.
Threatened fortune: Approximately £20million at the time of their 2008 divorce.
The divorce: The couple were said to have been living in different sections of their Californian home for months before separating. At first their split seemed friendly with the couple announcing it was a mutual decision with no third parties involved.
The settlement: Eichelberger hired Shackleton who negotiated a settlement worth at least £12million for her client – a deal that Cleese claimed left Eichelberger richer than him. She received £8million in cash, a New York apartment, a London mews house and half the value of a Santa Barbara beach house. Despite the couple having no children, Cleese was also ordered to pay his ex-wife £600,000 for the next seven years.
Cleese dubbed his 2010 tour 'the alimony tour', saying he had to go back on the road to pay for his divorce. He later referred to Shackleton as 'a really nasty woman'.
Liam Gallagher vs Nicole Appleton
Liam Gallagher's marriage to Nicole Appleton (pictured) fell apart when it was revealed he had cheated on her and secretly fathered a child with American journalist Liza Ghorbani
The marriage: Five years
All Saints singer Nicole and Oasis front man Liam dated for eight years before marrying at Marylebone Town Hall in 2008. Their son, Gene, was born in 2001.
Threatened fortune: At the time Gallagher's fortune was put at £7.7million, far less than the £57million his older brother and Oasis songwriter Noel is reputed to be worth these days. Nicole's wealth amounted to £3.2million.
The divorce: With his first marriage to Patsy Kensit thought to have cost him around £10million, Gallagher engaged the services of Shackleton to represent him the second time around. The marriage fell apart when it was revealed that Gallagher had cheated on Appleton and secretly fathered a child with American journalist Liza Ghorbani.
With his first marriage to Patsy Kensit thought to have cost him around £10million, Liam Gallagher engaged the services of Shackleton (pictured) for his second divorce
The settlement: After months of bitter wrangling, Gallagher and Appleton ran up over £800,000 in legal bills, a sum Judge Martin O'Dwyer said was 'manifestly excessive'. Appleton's lawyers argued that Gallagher had not been transparent about some of his assets, which the judge said had not been proven. In the end it was ruled that their assets should be evenly split with each receiving £5.4million.
Prince Andrew vs Sarah Ferguson
Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson were married for ten years, but split after
The marriage:Ten years
Prince Andrew married Sarah Ferguson at Westminster Abbey in July 1986. The marriage produced two daughters, Princess Beatrice born in 1988 and Princess Eugenie in 1990.
In January 1992 Ferguson's relationship with Texan multi-millionaire Steve Wyatt hit the news and the couple announced their separation in March. In August 1992, scandalous pictures of a topless Fergie having her toes sucked by her financial advisor John Bryan were published.
Threatened fortune: They jointly owned mansion Sunninghill Park in Berkshire, worth £3million at the time of their divorce.
The divorce: In 1995 there was speculation that Andrew and Fergie were going to give their marriage another chance. But in April 1996 they divorced, with the duch*ess claiming that it had been unwanted but necessary in order for her to take on private work.
The settlement: Shackleton acted for the prince and it was agreed that Ferguson would receive £2.3million partly paid by the late Queen. The sum included £500,000 for a new house, £1.4million to go into trusts for the princesses and £350,000 in cash.
Nigella Lawson vs Charles Saatchi
Nigella Lawson filed for divorce from Charles Saatchi on the grounds of his unreasonable behaviour, with Shackleton acting for her. The settlement was not made public
The marriage: 10 years
When cookery writer and TV presenter Nigella married art collector Saatchi in 2003 it was a second marriage for her and a third for him. The couple had three children between them but none together and lived in a £14million home in Chelsea.
Threatened fortune: Saatchi was worth £135million at the time of the divorce with Nigella worth £15million.
The divorce:In June 2013 photographs appeared showing Saatchi grabbing Lawson by the throat outside Scott's restaurant in Mayfair. He later accepted a police caution for assault and Lawson filed for divorce on the grounds of his unreasonable behaviour, with Shackleton acting for her.
At a later fraud trial (involving the couple's two former assistants, who were found not guilty of fraudulently using credit cards issued to them by the couple), Nigella revealed her ex-husband had subjected her to 'intimate terrorism' and had threatened to destroy her.
The settlement: The couple are thought to have signed a pre-nup before marriage and the details of their eventual settlement were not made public. It's thought that neither made a claim on the other's assets including Saatchi's £100million art collection.
Princess Haya bint Hussein vs Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum
With Shackleton acting on her behalf, Princess Haya bint Hussein was awarded Britain's biggest payout - £554million - in her divorce fromSheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai
The marriage: 15 years
Daughter of the late King Hussein of Jordan, Princess Haya married Sheikh Mohammed, the current ruler of Dubai, in 2004. She was the second of his eight wives. They have a son and a daughter together. (The Sheikh has 21 children in total.)
Threatened fortune: He is worth £14billion while the princess's own personal fortune was estimated (at time of divorce) at £100million.
The divorce: Sheikh Mohammed divorced Haya under Sharia law (but without telling her) following her affair with her British bodyguard Russell Flowers. Fearing for her life, after a loaded gun was left in her bedroom at the royal palace in Dubai, she fled to the UK with her son and daughter.
The settlement: In December 2021, with Shackleton acting on her behalf, the princess was awarded a £554million payout, the biggest in Britain (although it was £900million less than she was seeking.)
She received a £251million lump sum. Her ex was ordered to pay £290million bank guarantee for his children as well as additional sums to cover their education, security, holidays and leisure activities.
