?48m settlement was too small

When Beverly Charman won a settlement of almost £50 million earlier this year, it was officially the biggest divorce payout in British legal history but according to a leading family QC the court did not award her enough.

James Turner, QC, has said that because Mrs Charman and her former husband John had nothing when they wed and all their wealth was built up during their 27-year marriage, she was definitely entitled to half of everything.

Speaking to the Times, he said: "If the principle is sharing equally, why did she not get 50 per cent of his assets?"

It was estimated that Mr Charman had a personal fortune of approximately £130 million, which included money that had been put aside in for the couple's children in a trust fund.

The insurance magnate had put forward the argument that the trust fund should not be taken into account when his assets were determined, so his estranged spouse received £48 million in May.

Had it been included, she would have been awarded a figure close to £65 million.

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