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The world will now see the most expensive divorce in history. The Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and his wife are to divorce after 25 years of marriage. The founder and CEO of US online retail empire Amazon is the world's richest man, worth $137bn (£107bn). Mr Bezos has claimed in his Twitter statement that much of his success has been down to the support of his wife. The impact of the legal separation on the company is yet unknown and to be determined. From the outset and from the Twitter announcement, it appears as though this will be an amicable separation but it will still be recorded in history as the most expensive divorce to date.

Whilst the divorce will not be conducted in the UK, it's interesting to see the differences in approach. For the UK law - as it stands - there would need to be grounds for divorce. This seems a shame for couples like the Amazon tycoons, who have decided to part so amicable and have truly considered what is best for their marriage. The UK would acknowledge the length of marriage when dividing assets with a starting point at 50:50. It's admirable to see Mr Bezos acknowledging his wife's involvement in his ultimate success. Anything other than an equal division of assets would be a surprise.

This announcement comes in a popular month for couples that separate. Often the passing of Christmas and the beginning of the new year, have the impact of couples parting ways and starting afresh.

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