XW v XH

Lucy Stone QC and Duncan Brooks (instructed by Stewarts Law LLP ) for the Petitioner

Martin Pointer QC and Rebecca Carew Pole (instructed by Sears Tooth ) for the Respondent

This judgment was delivered in private.�� The judge has given leave for this version of the judgment to be published on condition that (irrespective of what is contained in the judgment) in any published version of the judgment the anonymity of the parties and members of their family must be strictly preserved.�� All persons, including representatives of the media, must ensure that this condition is strictly complied with.�� Failure to do so will be a contempt of court.

In October 2008, XW and XH were married in Italy. They did not enter into a bespoke nuptial agreement, but at the wedding they signed a form, headed � Atto di Matrimonio � (which has been translated as meaning �deed of marriage�), stating that they had chosen the separation of goods regime under Italian law (� separazione dei beni �). Prior to the marriage, the parties had lived in England and they continued to do so throughout the marriage, although they also owned properties in other parts of the world.

The wife came from a very wealthy Asian family, and before and during the marriage her mother, who has established a series of family trusts, provided her with substantial financial support. The wife herself had trained as a doctor but subsequently worked as an artist. The husband is a successful businessman. At the date of the marriage, he was a man of considerable means, although the precise value of his assets at that point is a matter of dispute between the parties.