Sir Paul in divorce court hearing

Sir Paul and Heather Mills arriving at court

Heather Mills and Sir Paul McCartney have appeared at the High Court in London for a hearing to reach a financial settlement for their divorce.

The hearing in the Family Division, which is taking place in private, is expected to last five days.

The couple, who have a four-year-old daughter, Beatrice, announced the end of their four-year marriage in 2006.

Neither made any statement to reporters as they left, with Sir Paul saying "no comment" to questions.

'Vast disparity'

The former Beatle has a fortune estimated at £825m. There has been speculation among divorce experts, based on recent cases, that the settlement could reach £60m.

The record currently rests with the £48m which businessman John Charman was told by the courts to pay his former wife in May last year.

Sir Paul entered the court through a side entrance

Suzanne Kingston, a family law expert, said: "Current estimates suggest that Heather is likely to receive anything from £50m to £100 million as her final settlement.

"In Heather and Sir Paul's negotiations, making sure that their child Beatrice is properly provided for will be a key consideration, as will ensuring that there is not a vast disparity between Heather's lifestyle and Paul's as viewed by Beatrice.

"The fact that this has been a short marriage will be taken into account and this could involve looking at the wealth that has been generated during the course of the marriage as distinct from pre-marital wealth."

The hearing is taking place behind closed doors, and the courtroom's windows have been blacked out. Any financial settlement will not be made public.