Pre-nuptial victory for heiress

A court ruling over a divorced couple's pre-nuptial agreement could pave the way for such contracts to become legally binding in England and Wales.

Katrin Radmacher, a German heiress, has overturned an earlier court decision to award her ex-husband £5.8m of her £100m fortune despite their agreement.

Frenchman Nicolas Granatino had agreed not to make a claim if they divorced. Such contracts are enforceable in Germany, where the couple's was signed, but not in England where they married. They are also enforceable in Mr Granatino's home country. Miss Radmacher, one of Germany's richest women, won a ruling from the Court of Appeal that such contracts should be taken into account by the courts when they divide assets after a marriage fails. Appeal judge Lord Justice Thorpe said he believed it had become "increasingly unrealistic" for courts to disregard pre-nuptial agreements.