Madonna settles divorce for up to £60 million

US pop star Madonna has paid her ex-husband British director Guy Ritchie up to £60 million to settle their divorce after eight years of marriage, her spokesman said yesterday.

Liz Rosenberg said the singer, 50, had given Mr Ritchie, 40, between 50 and 60 million pounds as part of their divorce, which was granted by a British court on November 21.

She said that sum includes the couple's English country estate, Ashcombe, which is valued at about £20 million.

The couple's combined wealth has been estimated at about £343 million, but Madonna accounts for most of it.

Ms Rosenberg said custody arrangements for the couple's children have not been finalised.

Madonna and Mr Ritchie have an eight-year-old son, Rocco, and three-year-old son David, adopted from Malawi. The singer also has a daughter Lourdes, born in 1996, from her relationship with fitness trainer Carlos Leon.

Madonna, one of the most successful singers of all time with estimated album sales of more than 200 million, was married once before, to actor Sean Penn, in the 1980s.

Madonna and Mr Ritchie announced their split in October, nearly eight years after their fairytale wedding at Skibo Castle in Scotland.

Mr Ritchie is a British film director who is making Hollywood blockbuster "Sherlock Holmes" starring Robert Downey Jr. as the Victorian-era super sleuth.