Steak Knives Stainless

Steak Knives Stainless

Divorce is never easy. There's child custody to decide and years of accumulated possessions to divide. But when the people who are divorcing are among the richest in the world, there's more at stake than simply who gets the Honda and the steak knives from Aunt Kitty. There are yachts, multiple estates and bank accounts worth millions (or billions) of dollars up for grabs. In this ultra-wealthy world, it's typically the man who has the dough and must pay up to the soon-to-be-ex-wife. At least, that's how it went with the top five most expensive divorces of all time.

1. Rupert and Anne Murdoch

He paid her: $1.7 billion*

It's fitting that the most expensive divorce to date happened to the man who has a permanent place at the top of the wealthiest-people-on-the-planet lists. Rupert Murdoch got his start in the business world through an inheritance but went on to earn staggering amounts of money in his own right as a media mogul. And when he and his wife divorced in 1999 after 30-plus years of marriage and three kids, he offloaded a sizeable chunk to her. But since Murdoch is currently known as much for his philanthropy as his business acumen, perhaps he didn't mind parting with all of those assets.

2. Adan and Soraya Khashoggi

He paid her: $874 million

Most people in the Western world haven't heard of Adan Khashoggi. After notoriously building his wealth through arms dealing for Saudi royals, Khashoggi next put together a more legitimate empire of global real estate, banks and hotels. When he split with his wife of 21 years in 1982, her attorney nabbed $874 million for her; adjusting for inflation, that may actually be the biggest split in history.

3. Craig and Wendy McCaw

He paid her: At least $460 million

Craig McCaw is another example of a guy who inherited a business (in his case, a failing cable company) and transformed it into something huge. After turning the cable company around, he gambled in the early 1980s that cell phones would be the next big thing. As we all know, he was right. And when things fell apart with his college sweetheart after 21 years of wedded bliss, he was out hundreds of millions of dollars.

4. Paul McCartney and Heather Mills

He paid her: Up to $360 million

This couple famously fell in love and then infamously fell out of the love, to the delight of the tabloids. Sir Paul had no pre-nuptial agreement, thanks to a happy first marriage to the late Linda McCartney. He not only had to give up a huge chunk of change to Heather Mills, the former model he was only married to for four years, but he also had to deal with family law, as they each fought for custody of their young daughter.

5. Roman and Irina Abramovich

He paid her: $300 million

Roman Abramovich is considered the richest man in Russia, and during his 17-year marriage to his beautiful blonde wife, he went from rags to incredible riches. Her divorce lawyer apparently didn't go for the jugular, however, as she reportedly only got 2 percent of her husband's net worth in their divorce — though $300 million isn't exactly pocket change.

*All dollar amounts are estimates.