equates to more than £6,000 per day. Ker-ching!
He argued, rather brilliantly, that he would’ve been better off if he’d knocked her down in his car and had to pay compensation but the Court of Appeal said that by marrying her he’d given his wife ‘an expectation of a significantly better standard of living’ – something he must maintain to make her happy, at his expense. Forever. Because he’s a man.
Kenneth MacFarlane, one of the big boys at accounting firm Deloitte, suffered a similar fate. He had to give his ex-wife his luxury home and £250,000 every year for life because he worked full-time during their relationship. She even went back to court for a second bite of the cherry when he was later given a pay-rise. A ruling which makes Paul McCartney’s judgment seem almost fair. When the Beatles star married Heather Mills in 2002, the world winced at what was effectively a six-year, slow-motion car crash. Unsurprisingly, Mills quickly got pregnant and – when the inevitable divorce came through – got her hands on £24.3 million. Experts say he was lucky. If he hadn’t roped in family law guru Fiona Shackleton the figure could’ve been more like £200 million.
Love me do? Love me don’t, more like.
For all its pulling power, it seems the concept of marriage has – ironically – been adulterated by big-money pay-outs and, to quote Kanye West for a bit of gangster credibility, a generation of gold diggers. So, sorry, Beyoncé, it’s little wonder we won’t put a ring on it, even if we do like it. Besides, it’s not just ‘a’ ring, these days, but two. One for popping the question, the other for sealing the deal.
Forget any idea that this is about tradition or romance, it’s actually just good old-fashioned marketing.
Before the 1930s there was no such thing as buying an engagement ring for a future spouse. People got married because they wanted to, rather than because the bloke begged with a box on bended knee. This was only kick-started in 1938, when jewellery company De Beers began running ads which said ‘real’ men (read: ignore this and she’ll think you’re a dud) bought their fiancées expensive rings to prove their worth. In a media masterstroke, this set a behavioural code which – funnily enough – also generated a tonne of profit. Not least because they ruled – in a vulgar example of commercial profit-chasing – that the average ring should cost two months’ salary.
The laughable part? Years later, De Beers chairman himself, Nicky Oppenheimer, admitted that diamonds ‘are intrinsically worthless’ – which is surprisingly true.The only reason they’re expensive to shoppers is because De Beers have a monopoly on diamond mining and up the price by restricting supply, hence marking up the retail price. In other words: it’s a great big fucking scam. Which is yet another reason to either a) stay away from marriage altogether and focus on having healthy relationships – kept healthy by the nagging reality that it could all end at any time – or b) buy your bling from Argos. For richer or poorer and all that.
Then again, even being economical isn’t enough. In 2011, a US appeals court in Georgia ordered a man to pay $50,000 to his one-time fiancée for calling off their wedding. Melissa Cooper sued Christopher Ned Kelley for fraud and breach of promise after their ten-year relationship ended. In a similar case, Florida woman RoseMary Shell successfully sued her ex-fiancé, Wayne Gibbs, for $150,000 after he dumped her in 2007. She argued that his promise of marital bliss was tantamount to a binding contract. Naturally, she won, despite the fact he’d already paid off $30,000 of
her
debts whilst they were together (and he only called off the wedding when he discovered she had lots more).
Christ, only in America – right?
Well, not quite. India is enjoying its own through-the-looking-glass approach to tying the knot. Currently, divorce can be filed as ‘no fault’
He argued, rather brilliantly, that he would’ve been better off if he’d knocked her down in his car and had to pay compensation but the Court of Appeal said that by marrying her he’d given his wife ‘an expectation of a significantly better standard of living’ – something he must maintain to make her happy, at his expense. Forever. Because he’s a man.
Kenneth MacFarlane, one of the big boys at accounting firm Deloitte, suffered a similar fate. He had to give his ex-wife his luxury home and £250,000 every year for life because he worked full-time during their relationship. She even went back to court for a second bite of the cherry when he was later given a pay-rise. A ruling which makes Paul McCartney’s judgment seem almost fair. When the Beatles star married Heather Mills in 2002, the world winced at what was effectively a six-year, slow-motion car crash. Unsurprisingly, Mills quickly got pregnant and – when the inevitable divorce came through – got her hands on £24.3 million. Experts say he was lucky. If he hadn’t roped in family law guru Fiona Shackleton the figure could’ve been more like £200 million.
Love me do? Love me don’t, more like.
For all its pulling power, it seems the concept of marriage has – ironically – been adulterated by big-money pay-outs and, to quote Kanye West for a bit of gangster credibility, a generation of gold diggers. So, sorry, Beyoncé, it’s little wonder we won’t put a ring on it, even if we do like it. Besides, it’s not just ‘a’ ring, these days, but two. One for popping the question, the other for sealing the deal.
Forget any idea that this is about tradition or romance, it’s actually just good old-fashioned marketing.
Before the 1930s there was no such thing as buying an engagement ring for a future spouse. People got married because they wanted to, rather than because the bloke begged with a box on bended knee. This was only kick-started in 1938, when jewellery company De Beers began running ads which said ‘real’ men (read: ignore this and she’ll think you’re a dud) bought their fiancées expensive rings to prove their worth. In a media masterstroke, this set a behavioural code which – funnily enough – also generated a tonne of profit. Not least because they ruled – in a vulgar example of commercial profit-chasing – that the average ring should cost two months’ salary.
The laughable part? Years later, De Beers chairman himself, Nicky Oppenheimer, admitted that diamonds ‘are intrinsically worthless’ – which is surprisingly true.The only reason they’re expensive to shoppers is because De Beers have a monopoly on diamond mining and up the price by restricting supply, hence marking up the retail price. In other words: it’s a great big fucking scam. Which is yet another reason to either a) stay away from marriage altogether and focus on having healthy relationships – kept healthy by the nagging reality that it could all end at any time – or b) buy your bling from Argos. For richer or poorer and all that.
Then again, even being economical isn’t enough. In 2011, a US appeals court in Georgia ordered a man to pay $50,000 to his one-time fiancée for calling off their wedding. Melissa Cooper sued Christopher Ned Kelley for fraud and breach of promise after their ten-year relationship ended. In a similar case, Florida woman RoseMary Shell successfully sued her ex-fiancé, Wayne Gibbs, for $150,000 after he dumped her in 2007. She argued that his promise of marital bliss was tantamount to a binding contract. Naturally, she won, despite the fact he’d already paid off $30,000 of
her
debts whilst they were together (and he only called off the wedding when he discovered she had lots more).
Christ, only in America – right?
Well, not quite. India is enjoying its own through-the-looking-glass approach to tying the knot. Currently, divorce can be filed as ‘no fault’
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