Is London Still the Divorce Capital of the World?

The new Sky Original drama WAR places a high-profile divorce at the centre of a battle between two elite London law firms. Starring Sienna Miller as international film star Carla Duval and Dominic West as her tech entrepreneur husband Morgan Henderson, the series explores a fictional separation in which significant wealth, reputation and powerful personalities collide.

The drama may be fictional, but its choice of London as the setting for a headline-making divorce is no coincidence. For decades, London has been described as the “divorce capital of the world”, particularly when it comes to cases involving substantial and internationally held wealth.

But is that description still justified?

The reputation of the courts of England and Wales stems in part from the broad discretion available to judges when determining financial claims on divorce. For international families, there may be competing jurisdictions in which the divorce could be heard and the key determining factor is likely to be which jurisdiction will offer the most favourable financial outcome – the preferential choice of jurisdiction may well depend on whether one is acting for the payer or the payee.

HNW families today often have connections with several countries. They may have homes in London and overseas, businesses operating across multiple jurisdictions, international investment portfolios, trusts and sophisticated wealth-holding structures. When a marriage breaks down, jurisdiction can therefore be one of the earliest, and most consequential, issues to consider.

In my experience, one of London’s particular strengths is the ability of the English courts to deal with highly complex financial arrangements and, where necessary, to look beyond the apparent ownership of assets to establish the true financial picture.

I saw this first-hand acting for the wife in Kroupeeva v Kroupeev [2026] EWFC 85, a complex financial remedies case involving significant international wealth, corporate interests and a substantial offshore trust structure. The court ultimately identified the husband’s personal wealth at £59.5 million and assets within the nuptial settlement of £244.1 million. The judge drew a series of adverse inferences following significant failures in financial disclosure and concluded that the trust structure constituted a nuptial settlement which the court had power to vary.

The case illustrates one of the reasons that England and Wales remains such an important jurisdiction for international families. The courts are experienced in untangling complicated financial structures, scrutinising disclosure and reaching fair outcomes where wealth is held through companies, trusts and across borders.

There is, however, one respect in which television drama inevitably differs from reality. While WAR understandably puts conflict centre stage, the best outcome for a divorcing family is rarely achieved by pursuing conflict for its own sake.

For HNW individuals in particular, privacy, children and family relationships, the protection of wealth and the preservation of wider family or business interests may be every bit as important as the headline financial outcome. A good family lawyer needs to understand not only when robust litigation is necessary, but also when a negotiated solution will better serve a client’s long-term interests.

So, is London still the divorce capital of the world?

The label is perhaps a little simplistic. But England and Wales undoubtedly remains one of the most significant jurisdictions for complex, high-value and international family cases.

And, unlike the fictional lawyers of WAR, the objective should not necessarily be to win the war. It should be to secure the right resolution for the client and their family.