Did Kate Middleton Sign a Pre-Nup? If Not, What Happens After The Divorce?
Yesterday the website Celeb Dirty Laundry claimed that Kate Middleton, The Duchess of Cambridge, had, in fact, signed a prenuptial marriage agreement.
They gave no source for the allegation, which contradicts pretty much all other media sources which insist that Kate did NOT sign such a document.
Almost from the moment the engagement was announced, divorce lawyers said the type of prenup, so popular with Hollywood celebrities, would be a good idea given the unenviable success rate of royal marriages. Three of Queen Elizabeth’s children were divorced, as was her sister, Princess Margaret.
According to gossip and rumor — which will not go away — The Inquisitr reported earlier this month that Prince Charles and wife Camilla are also having a rocky time.
A ruling by the British Supreme Court has made prenups binding in English law, and it was suggested to William that he should make such an agreement, but he is alleged to have refused.
At the time of the wedding, William, then 28, was earning $63,000 a year as a flight lieutenant in the RAF. Not mucn to fight about there!
But he inherited some $11 million after his mother’s death in 1997, which has grown substantially since then. Additionally, his father, Prince Charles, pays the costs of William’s household. William’s great-grandmother is reported to have put two-thirds of her money into trust funds for William and Prince Harry.
Kate, on the other hand, comes from a middle class family which, while not poor, cannot come even close the wealth of the Monarchy. The Queen has an estimated personal net worth of $500 million, which comes from property holdings including Balmoral Castle in the Scottish Highlands, stud farms, a fruit farm, and marine land throughout the U.K. She also owns extensive art, fine jewelry, and one of the world’s largest stamp collections.
Kate quit her job shortly before the wedding, and is not thought to have any substantial funds of her own.
Of course, without a prenup, it’s up to the lawyers to do battle — and they do — even for royal breakups!
For example, The Duchess of York received $25,000 a year from Prince Andrew when their 10-year marriage ended in 1996. However, Princess Diana’s lawyers got her close to a $30 million pay-off when she divorced Prince Charles.
Victoria Pynchon wrote in Forbes that there was no benefit to Kate in a prenup because, at that stage, she had nothing to bargain with, so any settlement would be miniscule.
Far better for he Duchess of Cambridge to wait until she produced a future King of England, because that’s a REAL bargaining chip!
