THE Mills-McCartney divorce case may have been heard in private but it was concluded very publicly yesterday when Heather Mills insisted on having the last word as she launched an astonishing rant on the steps of the court.
Following her £24.3 million divorce ruling, she railed against Sir Paul, her ex-husband, his lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, against Mr Justice Bennett and the entire British court system.
In a rambling statement, resembling her appearance on the GMTV
sofa in October, when she compared herself to Princess Diana, Ms Mills accused the former Beatle of hiding the full extent of his earnings.
"I'm so glad it's over," she said. "It was an incredible result in the end, to secure my and Beatrice's future, as that of all the charities that I obviously plan on helping and making a difference with, because you know it's been my life for 20 years."
But she hit out at the £35,000 a year their four-year-old daughter would receive.
"Beatrice only gets £35,000 a year – so obviously she's meant to travel B class while her father travels A class," she complained.
Describing herself as "a campaigning girl", Ms Mills urged anyone seeking a divorce to represent themselves and "save a fortune".
She also had harsh words for McCartney's lawyer, Fiona Shackleton, who represented Prince Charles in his divorce from Princess Diana: "Fiona Shackleton has very sadly handled this in the worst manner you could ever, ever imagine.
"She has called me many, many names before even meeting me when I was in a wheelchair," said Miss Mills, whose left leg was amputated below the knee after a 1993 motorcycle accident.
She insisted her parting from her own lawyers, Mishcon de Reya, had been amicable but said the firm wanted to charge her an extra £600,000 in fees, "which could easily go to charity".
In contrast, Sir Paul chose to leave without comment, looking strained as he gave a brief wave to onlookers.
Yesterday's impromptu press conference on the steps of the Royal Courts of Justice was the latest turn in what is widely seen as the most acrimonious high-profile divorce of recent times.
The warring couple spent six days in court last month in a battle to decide Ms Mills's slice of the former Beatle's purported £825 million fortune.
As their relationship disintegrated the couple insisted their parting two years ago was "amicable" and said "both of us still care about each other very much".
But the split has grown fractious since McCartney filed for divorce alleging his wife's "unreasonable behaviour".
Despite receiving less than a fifth of what she had demanded, Ms Mills said she would not be appealing the award, as it was "not worth it". But she expressed frustration at the judge's acceptance of Sir Paul's worth as £400 million. She said: "Everybody knows he's been worth £800 million for the past 15 years."
And she confirmed she would appeal against publication of the judgment on the grounds that it contained many personal details about her daughter.
Yesterday, legal experts said the judgment was in Sir Paul's favour. Alan Kaufman, Finers Stephens Innocent's family law specialist, said: "
The judge did a good job. But it's a massive sum after just four years of marriage. It's a clever judgment. Both come out, if not smiling, then satisfied."
As she played to the media circus she has so often criticised, the former Lady McCartney finished her "statement" by expressing her hopes the press would now stop talking about "our boring divorce".
MACCA MATHS
THE key numbers associated with yesterday's McCartney divorce settlement:
• £400 million – the total value of Sir Paul McCartney's assets, according to the judge, Mr Justice Bennett.
• £800 million – what "everybody knows" Sir Paul is really worth – according to Heather Mills.
• £125 million – the figure Miss Mills originally sought.
• £15.8 million – what Sir Paul proposed she should get instead.
• £24.3 million – Miss Mills's total settlement as decided by the judge.
• £16.5 million – a lump sum figure within the overall settlement.
• £7.8 million – assets such as properties included in the settlement.
• Less than four – years the marriage lasted before separation (from 11 June, 2002, until April, 2006).
• £600,000 – what Heather Mills said she saved by representing herself in court.
