Madonna and Ritchie to divorce today

US pop star Madonna and husband Guy Ritchie are to divorce in London today, according to the High Court where so-called "quickie" divorces are formalised.

The case was listed yesterday under the names Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S and will be heard before a judge in the High Court's Family Division.

Both are entitled to attend the court, although in most high-profile celebrity cases people choose not to.

The couple announced last month that they had agreed to finish their eight-year-old marriage, ending intense speculation over the relationship.

Details of the terms of the split have not been made public.

Madonna, 50, and Ritchie, 40, have a joint fortune estimated to be worth around $525 million.

The couple have a son, Rocco, who was several months old on their wedding day in December 2000, and in 2006 Madonna applied to adopt David Banda, a boy from Malawi whose mother died shortly after his birth and whose biological father has supported the adoption.

The singer also has a daughter Lourdes, born in 1996, from her relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon. She was married once before, to actor Sean Penn, in the 1980s.

How Madonna and Ritchie share custody of the children is unclear. Media reports have said that Madonna wants to live in the US while Ritchie plans to remain in his native Britain.

There is also the question of how their combined fortune will be divided.