End Of The Road, Finally, For McCartneys?

The worst may finally be over for Paul McCartney and Heather Mills McCartney, soon-to-be (or perhaps already) the ex-wife of one of planet Earth's biggest superstars.

Millions of their countrymen woke up Sunday to a headline in London's News of the World tabloid declaring that the McCartneys have agreed to a divorce settlement which will keep some details from ever being made public.

The former Beatle has said from the beginning that privacy was among his greatest wishes, and he'll get some of that, according to the paper, which says Heather will walk off with a cash and property settlement worth £32,000,000.

That's $63,176,960 – about three percent of the pop star's fortune, reportedly estimated to total about $1.6 billion.

McCartney's camp, according to The News of the World, has said that the amount the anti-landmines activist and former model will receive is more than the total amount he earned during their four-year marriage.

2The newspaper – owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation, the same parent corporation as the New York Post, and known for its celebrity gossip – has made its loyalties clear. In coverage of allegations dragging the couple through the muck since their split, the paper dubbed Mills "Mucca" – a takeoff on "Macca," the nickname McCartney has long used for himself.

Neither McCartney, 64, nor Mills, 39, has yet made any announcements confirming or denying that they have come to terms. There also have been no reports suggesting what kind of custody arrangement may have been agreed on for their three-year-old daughter, Beatrice.

McCartney has many times appealed to the public and the media to help him in his goal to keep the divorce as dignified as possible – a hope that has for the most part been unrealized.

3"There are certain things in life that are personal, and I think a relationship with a partner is intensely personal, and I prefer to keep it that way," McCartney told the BBC in an interview last November. "When you are going through difficulties, I think the thing to do for the sake of all the people concerned is to keep a certain dignity and remember that it is a private affair."

There is no comment on the report of the settlement on McCartney's website – which has remained silent on the subject since October, when his lawyer posted a statement saying McCartney would defend himself "vigorously" against allegations that he was violent with Mills but was making no public comment for the sake of his family.

The News of the World says that vigorous defense might now remain private, as part of the details of the settlement.

4Mills has her own website, which so far has no comment on the report that there has been a settlement. The Mills site does howver include a page refuting, point-by-point, various allegations and media reports about Mills.

The divorce lawyers in the long and acrimonious negotiation are heavy-hitters in their own right.

Sir Paul has been represented by another favorite on her Majesty's list: Fiona Shackleton, who handled Prince Charles' divorce from Princess Diana and is the solicitor to call today when Princes William and Harry need some top drawer legal advice.

Heather's advocate is Anthony Julius, who has been active in fighting anti-Semitism and is equally well-known for having represented Diana in the 1996 royal breakup. He was one of the founders of the Diana, Princess of Wales, Memorial Fund and still serves as one of its leaders.

5If true, the amount Mills is to receive far outstrips that given Diana, which totaled about $33 million.

Mills, who was married once before, has been admired for her resilience in overcoming a difficult childhood and reacting to losing a leg by becoming a campaigner for amputees and against landmines.

Mills met McCartney on the charity circuit, where he has been active on behalf of vegetarian and animal rights issues – causes he became interested in as result of the beliefs of his wife, Linda, who died in 1998.

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Photos: McCartney, Through The Years

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