McCartney divorce echoes bitter Charles-Di split

By Mike Collett-White

LONDON (Reuters) – British tabloids are licking their lips
as Paul McCartney’s divorce from his wife Heather becomes
increasingly ugly, and comparisons with the bitter split
between Britain’s Prince Charles and Diana 10 years ago are
already being made.

On Wednesday the gossip-hungry newspapers splashed pictures
of 38-year-old Heather Mills McCartney over the front pages
after she hired Anthony Julius, Princess Diana’s divorce
lawyer, to handle her case.

Former Beatle McCartney, with a fortune of about 825
million pounds ($1.5 billion), had already appointed Fiona
Shackleton, who happened to represent Britain’s Prince Charles
in the 1996 divorce.

“Battle Royal” is what newspapers have dubbed the McCartney
case, which looks set to be played out in the full glare of the
media spotlight. “All You Need Is Hate” was the headline in the
Daily Express.

The hiring of identical lawyers in both cases provides a
striking parallel.

Anthony Julius, nicknamed “Anthony Genius,” was considered
by some to be the winner in their first famous courtroom
tussle, securing an estimated 17 million pounds for Diana.

The financial stakes in the McCartney case are far higher,
with lawyers predicting Mills could win up to a quarter of her
husband’s fortune, or more than 200 million pounds.

Shackleton, known as the “Steel Magnolia” for her
toughness, was credited with securing one concession from
Diana, who agreed to give up the title “Her Royal Highness.”

Comparisons have also been made between Diana and Mills.
Both married into rich and powerful families, and both worked
to highlight the dangers of landmines.

MILLS VILIFIED

But there the similarities end.

While Diana was the darling of the public and press before
her death in 1997, earning her the unofficial title “Queen of
Hearts,” Mills has been cast as the villain in the McCartney
saga, which also involves their two-year-old daughter Beatrice.

“Heather should remember one thing,” wrote Victoria Newton,
show business editor of the Sun tabloid. “She may aspire to be
the Queen of Hearts — but all she will ever be is the Queen of
Tarts.”

Mills has been the target of lurid allegations since news
of the separation broke, and she launched legal action against
one newspaper that printed claims she was once a prostitute.
She dismissed the allegations as “untrue and highly
defamatory.”

McCartney, meanwhile, remains a favorite with Britons, who
share fond memories of his time with the Beatles and of his
first wife Linda, who died in 1998.

The first sign that his second marriage had turned sour
came last month, when he cited Mills’ “unreasonable behavior”
for the break-up, prompting Mills to file counter-claims
against him both in Britain and the United States.

Since then, 64-year-old McCartney has frozen their joint
bank account and complained through a legal letter when three
bottles of cleaner were taken from his home to be used in
Mills’ nearby office, according to Mills’ spokesman.

On Monday, Mills was unable to get into McCartney’s London
house after the locks on the gate had been changed.

It is all a far cry from the announcement of the separation
in May, in which the couple vowed it was amicable.