Petra Ecclestone arrived at the Central Family Court today for the latest round of her legal battle with ex-husband James Stunt following their £5.5billion divorce.
The 29-year-old was supported in London this morning by her sister Tamara, who had earlier told her on Instagram: ‘Hey little fighter, soon things will be brighter.’
Petra has been embroiled in a messy divorce battle with her ex-husband Mr Stunt, which is claimed to have been one of the most expensive in British legal history.
Petra Ecclestone (left) is supported by her sister Tamara (right) at the Central Family Court today
Petra pictured with her lawyer Baroness Fiona Shackleton, one of the country’s leading divorce lawyers, who represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce battle with Heather Mills
Petra, who shares three children with Mr Stunt, enters the court with Tamara this morning
Bernie Ecclestone, who made billions from the Formula One franchise supported his daughter in court this morning
Petra (left) is now locked in the final stages of her split and has won praise from Tamara (right)
Petra (left) and Mr Stunt (right) have vowed to be ‘firm friends’ despite their differences
But Petra, 29, is now locked in the final stages of her split and has won praise from her older sister Tamara, 33, who posted a tribute to her little sister on Instagram.
Mother-of-one Tamara made reference to Petra, saying: ‘You may be my little sister, but you have shown unimaginable strength, dignity and composure. Proud of you.’
Petra, who shares three children – sons Andrew and James and daughter Lavinia – with her ex-husband, divorced Mr Stunt last October.
But her sister Tamara, who lives in a £70million home in Kensington, West London, has been a constant support to her throughout the difficult proceedings.
Tamara won praise for the Instagram post, who admired how ‘supportive’ the Formula One heiress had been towards her sister, with one saying: ‘Beautiful words.’
Show of support: Tamara had accompanied her tribute on Instagram with a poignant quote that read: ‘Hey little fighter, soon things will be brighter’
Mr Stunt smokes outside the Central Family Court today, still wearing his wedding ring (right)
Bernie Ecclestone, father of Petra and Tamara, is also at the Central Family Court today
The warring former couple of Petra and Mr Stunt had been back and forth to court for 12 months while they geared up for the £5.5billion divorce battle.
But when their legal teams came before a judge in October, it emerged lawyers had agreed what is believed to be one of Britain’s biggest ever divorce settlements.
The out-of-court settlement meant a two-day public hearing to decide who should get what after their split was avoided.
Petra and Mr Stunt had been expected to fight over their £158million mansion in Los Angeles and a Grade II-listed home in London’s Chelsea, worth up to £100million.
Petra (left), 29, arrives at the court with a hot drink alongside her older sister Tamara (right), 33
Petra and Mr Stunt had been expected to fight over their mansions in Los Angeles and London
Tamara has been a constant support to Petra throughout the difficult court proceedings
At a hearing last year, a court was told Mr Stunt had signed a prenuptial agreement worth £16million.
The pair had hired some of the country’s most high profile divorce lawyers to represent them as they fought over how to divide their wealth.
Petra’s legal team included Baroness Fiona Shackleton, who represented Sir Paul McCartney in his divorce battle with Heather Mills.
Petra’s lawyers instigated an earlier hearing to force Mr Stunt to move out of their 14-bedroom home in Chelsea, West London.
Mr Stunt is pictured today (left) and with Petra (right) at St James’s Palace in London in 2015
A court was told last year that Mr Stunt had signed a prenuptial agreement worth £16million
Mr Stunt is pictured having a cigarette outside the Central Family Court in London today
However, Petra and Mr Stunt have vowed to be ‘firm friends’. In recent months, Petra has been linked to a friend of Tamara’s husband Jay Rutland, Sam Palmer.
The duo were first spotted together in November, enjoying a stroll around London with her twin sons.
It has been claimed the luxury car salesman and Petra have grown ‘close’ and even enjoyed a break to Dubai with Tamara and Mr Rutland three months ago.
Tamara’s gushing post about Petra comes after she shared a candid snap of her breastfeeding her daughter Sophia, three.
The warring ex-couple of Petra and Mr Stunt had been back and forth to court for 12 months
Leggy lady! Dressed to impress, Fabiana showed off her enviably lean legs in sheer black tights that poked out beneath her tailored black coat
In recent months, Petra (right) has been linked to a friend of Tamara’s husband Jay Rutland, Sam Palmer (left). They are pictured together in West Hollywood, California, last week
Her decision to do so has subjected Tamara to criticism, with many disagreeing with her choice to still be breastfeeding her little girl at that age.
But she has defended her decision. Speaking on her ITVBe reality series, Tamara said: ‘As soon as Fifi (Sophia’s pet name) was born she headed straight to the boob.’
Mr Rutland added: ‘She believes in breastfeeding, she believes quite passionately in it. I support her in anything she wants to do. I think she’s doing the right thing.’
Tamara has expressed her hopes to have another child with businessman Mr Rutland, while he has said he would like up to four. The pair married in 2013.
Petra, James and a failed union built on two huge fortunes
Petra Ecclestone and James Stunt went back and forth to court for a year as they geared up for a bitter fight over their estimated £5.5billion fortune.
But when their heavyweight legal teams came before a judge in October it emerged the pair had agreed one of Britain’s biggest ever divorce settlements.
A bad-tempered hearing earlier last year was told how Mr Stunt had been abusive, violent and took overdoses during his marriage to the glamorous heiress.
Among the couple’s homes is this lavish £100million mansion in Chelsea, West London
The judge warned the pair that being locked in long-running litigation over the split would only make matters worse, but an out-of-court settlement was later reached.
Petra and Mr Stunt had been expected to fight over their £158million mansion in Los Angeles and a Grade II-listed home in London’s Chelsea, worth up to £100million.
Petra’s lawyers instigated an earlier hearing to force Mr Stunt to move out of their 14-bedroom Chelsea home.
Mr Stunt was later pictured smoking a cigarette and clutching two blue china cats as a cavalcade of cars swept him away from the property.
A Lamborghini, one of a fleet of luxury cars he owns, was driven behind by one of his entourage.
The couple had a £65million property in Los Angeles, called The Manor, pictured, which was said to have been put up for sale in 2016 for £150million
The businessman, who runs an international gold bullion firm, also had assets including a wine collection worth up to £15million and two Chelsea properties worth up to £4million each, a previous hearing was told.
The couple are believed to have first met on a blind date in 2006.
They married seven years ago at a multi-million-pound ceremony at Odescalchi Castle, Rome, when they and 350 guests were entertained by an array of pop stars.
Petra created fashion label FORM aged just 19 in 2007, which was sold in shops including Harrods, but the label collapsed and was liquidated 14 months later.
Mr Stunt is known for his fleet of luxury cars, including this Lamborghini, as well as his huge collection of art and fine wine
Mr Stunt, a 35-year-old businessman, rarely goes out without his cavalcade of Rolls Royces, Range Rovers and other supercars
She also launched accessories line Stark in 2011 and is believed to have a property portfolio valued at more than £130million.
Petra also stands to inherit from her mega-rich father, Bernie. He worked his way up from selling motorcycle parts to car racing, before taking over a racing team after a number of accidents.
From the 1970s, he was one of the main forces behind Formula One, turning the sport in the globally-recognised institution it is today. In the process, he is said to have become extremely wealthy, with his worth estimated at £2.5billion.
Mr Stunt’s finances are less easily to estimate. The Stunt & Co website says only that he has been involved with ‘highly successful ventures in the gambling, art, mining and transcontinental shipping industries’.
Unusually, the share capital for Stunt & Co, and another company he owns, Stunt Acquisitions, has been funded by two unnamed works of art, one for each company, worth £4.4million and £3.5million.
Accounts up to June 2016 show Stunt & Co had a turnover of £43.5 million but made a loss of £842,000. For the same period, Stunt Acquisitions, which concerns Mr Stunt’s art dealing, saw its net worth fall from £2.78 million to £1.89 million.
Petra’s family are said to have paid for the couple’s £65million mansion in Beverley Hills.