Madonna wins: Boys to be educated in the US

**Novice** · January 30th, 2009, 11:32 AM

Madonna wins battle with Guy Ritchie to take sons to U.S.

By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 3:06 PM on 30th January 2009

It's a deal: Madonna, with David in New York earlier this month, is poised to take her sons to live in the US

Madonna is poised to take her children to the US after winning a residency battle with her ex-husband Guy Ritchie, it has been revealed.
The pop star is understood to have been given temporary permission to remove their two sons from Britain, according to the Evening Standard.

The agreement is expected to be made permanent within a fortnight.

A source close to the negotiations told the publication today: 'Everything is going to be resolved in the next couple of weeks. Everything is going well. It's pretty amicable at the moment. Things are progressing.'
A legal insider said arrangements had been resolved and that it was 'unheard of' for such agreements to be overturned at a later date.

The source said: 'There was an issue about where the children should live but that has been decided in Madonna's favour.'
The decision paves the way for Madonna, 50, to take sons Rocco, eight, and David, three, who was adopted from a Malawi orphanage, to live with her in New York.

The father of Madonna's eldest child, Lourdes, 12, lives in New York and it has been widely reported that she is keen to move back there.
She is said to be dating Alex Rodriguez, the highest-paid player in baseball, who plays for the New York Yankees.

Her spokeswoman today refused to comment on her post-divorce plans.

The agreement over where the children should live brings to an end a divorce battle which has seen Ritchie, 40, pick up close to £45 million in cash, a country estate in Wiltshire and a London pub.

Doting father: Guy Ritchie, with son Rocco in Pennsylvania, wanted his sons to be educated in London

The couple were granted a 'quickie' divorce in November but had failed to settle their differences over the children.

Ritchie had wanted Rocco, upon whom he dotes, to be educated in England but Madonna's lawyers argued that the children should not be split up and should remain with their mother.

It is likely his sons will divide their time between London and New York but be educated in the US. Today Madonna announced a new European tour beginning on 4 July at the O2 Arena, with tickets costing as much as £175, and ending in Slovenia on 20 August.

That would allow Madonna to hand over the boys to Ritchie while she is on tour.

The 'amicable' resolution will earn the couple praise for putting their differences aside for the sake of their children.

It will also be seen as a triumph for the couple's solicitors Fiona Shackleton, representing Madonna, and Helen Ward, for Ritchie, who managed to keep the case from going to trial and avoid the unseemly row that engulfed Paul McCartney's divorce from Heather Mills.

That case took two years to resolve and cost millions of pounds in legal fees.
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I bet that GR doesn't agree that £45m a house in Wiltshire & a London pub compensate him for loosing his son.

**Novice** · January 30th, 2009, 05:38 PM

She doesn't care about that, it's all about her!!!

**Honey** · January 30th, 2009, 08:40 PM

Poor kids

Steamed veg and no fun

**buttmunch** · January 31st, 2009, 02:10 AM

I'd take a british education over a Yank one any day. But then, I'm not screwing this week's flavour, which is obviously far more important.

**NicoleWasHere** · January 31st, 2009, 09:20 AM

Poor kids are probably gonna end up growing up stupid, now.

**sparkly** · January 31st, 2009, 11:57 AM

The only reason she's moving to NY is because she's dating A-Rod. She's selfish to the core.

**yoyoma** · January 31st, 2009, 02:33 PM

If she is not careful she will end up being an angry old woman and alone...

**buttmunch** · January 31st, 2009, 03:19 PM

I think she already is an angry old woman. Just look at her. And what is up with those hideous two-tone trousers. That's twice she's worn them.

**PinkIsTheWord** · January 31st, 2009, 03:41 PM

Those pants look straight out of 1992

**buttmunch** · January 31st, 2009, 10:27 PM

Seriously! I once dumped a guy for wearing a pair like that once too often.

**CornFlakegrl** · January 31st, 2009, 10:35 PM

Madonna wins. Kids lose.

She's a wanker!

**Novice** · February 1st, 2009, 06:15 AM

Originally Posted by buttmunch

Seriously! I once dumped a guy for wearing a pair like that once too often.

Haha! I'd wear those jeans but not with that coat!
Or the rest of her get up!

**ana-mish-ana** · February 1st, 2009, 07:23 AM

Couldnt the kids choose to decide where to live when they are older? I can see that happening.

**scooter** · February 1st, 2009, 08:53 AM

She's going to have a rude awakening when she has to deal with the NYC private schools. They take no crap from ANYONE. They have such a long waitlist that any parent who steps out of line gets 'excused'. I had one friend who tried to take her child out of school for 2 days to go to a family wedding. The school (Dalton), told her if she did, she would have to find another school. And this is a family with a very famous last name. This should be interesting...*gone to make popcorn*

**Novice** · February 1st, 2009, 12:28 PM

Originally Posted by scooter

She's going to have a rude awakening when she has to deal with the NYC private schools. They take no crap from ANYONE. They have such a long waitlist that any parent who steps out of line gets 'excused'. I had one friend who tried to take her child out of school for 2 days to go to a family wedding. The school (Dalton), told her if she did, she would have to find another school. And this is a family with a very famous last name. This should be interesting...*gone to make popcorn*

She'll probably try to send them to the Lycee Francais since they seem to allow children with their "super-star" parents to drop in & out & pose for photo-ops while warning other parents not to take photos of or bother, etc...

(Didn't Lourdes attend the Lycess in London anyway? For a while??? )

TBH I think that its good that the schools put their foot down since they're probably the only people that tell some "no"... its probably for the good of the child's education otherwise they'd be in and out of school all the time.