Mr Charman has lost his appeal, a decision that will come as no surprise to many.

Just to recap, Mrs Charman was awarded £48m of their £131m fortune by the High Court, the biggest divorce award in British legal history. The High Court justified its departure from equality of division by reason of Mr Charman's special financial contribution. Not satisfied with this, Mr Charman appealed, claiming that the award was "unfair and unreasonable", as he had played a far bigger role in amassing the fortune. In the Court of Appeal Sir Mark Potter did not agree, saying that: "Neither in its method nor in its result do we regard the judge's treatment of the husband's special contribution as vulnerable to appeal."

Needless to say, Mr Charman does not accept the words of the President of the Family Division, and has indicated that he intends to appeal again to the House of Lords. Oh well, more money for the lawyers and legal analysts, and more copy for the media...