RICHER THAN THE QUEEN!
Former Miss UK receives £400m divorce settlement
A NORTH Staffordshireborn former Miss UK is now richer than the Queen – after receiving a £400 million divorce settlement from her billionaire husband of 21 years.
Kirsty Bertarelli was born in Oulton, near Stone, and her dad and uncles own Sandyford-based ceramics company Churchill China.
The 50-year-old was married to Ernesto Bertarelli, aged 56, for 21 years before the couple announced they would be separating earlier this year.
The couple, who have three children, split amicably, with the divorce agreed in the summer.
Kirsty has also been known across North Staffordshire for her involvement with charitable projects as a part of the Bertarelli Foundation.
In 2016, she was given an Award of Honorary Doctor of Arts by Staffordshire University.
A spokesperson for the Bertarellis said: “It is with sadness that Ernesto and Kirsty Bertarelli confirm that they have divorced.
“The decision was a shared one and the separation amicable.”
The couple had been placed 14th on the Times Rich List, with a fortune of £9.2 billion.
The former Miss UK agreed to accept a £350m settlement in the divorce, according to reports – although this detail was not confirmed by the couple.
It is also reported that Mrs Bertarelli was given a house by Lake Geneva in Switzerland that the family bought this year for £52m.
It would make her the richest British-born divorcee in legal history.
By comparison, the Queen’s worth is estimated to be about £365 million.
She also owns a chalet in the Swiss town of Gstaad, which is worth £8m, and a mansion in Knightsbridge, Central London.
A friend told the Daily Mail: “The settlement was more generous than it had to be. They didn’t want a long, drawn-out court case in Switzerland, and he wanted to recognise the length of their marriage.”
In 2012, Mr Bertarelli commissioned the largest private motor yacht ever built in the UK for his wife, who then took charge of the £100m 314ft Vava II.
She was crowned Miss UK in 1988, and became a successful singersongwriter after moving to London.
She met Mr Bertarelli at a dinner party in Sardinia in 1997, and the couple married in 2000.
Their spokesman said: “All issues arising from the divorce have been settled and they would respectfully ask for privacy for their whole family at this time.
“As this is a private matter, there will be no further comment.”