Clive Standish, a retired banker and former CFO of UBS, recently won a legal appeal to reduce the financial settlement awarded to his ex-wife, Anna Standish, by £20 million. The couple married in December 2005 and separated in 2020 after 15 years. Their marital assets were valued at £132 million at the time of their split, with nearly all of the wealth originating from Mr. Standish’s pre-marital fortune of £57.3 million.

Initially, High Court judge Mr Justice Moor ruled in 2022 that Mr. Standish should receive £87 million and Mrs. Standish £45 million. Mr. Standish appealed, arguing that the bulk of the assets were due to his efforts before the marriage and should not be divided equally.

The contentious point in the appeal was the status of £80 million transferred to Mrs. Standish in 2017 to avoid inheritance tax. Mr. Standish’s lawyers asserted this money remained his property and was not a gift intended for his wife.

In May 2024, the Court of Appeal ruled in favor of Mr. Standish, with Lord Justice Moylan asserting that the original decision was flawed and resulted in an unjustified division of wealth. Consequently, Mrs. Standish’s share was reduced to approximately £25 million, while Mr. Standish retained about £107 million. The case has been remitted to the High Court Family Division for further assessment of Mrs. Standish’s financial “needs.”