Daniel Sugare Provides Expert Family Law Commentary to Metro on Katie Price Divorce

Daniel Sugare, Head of Family Law at Sugaré & Co Solicitors, has provided expert legal commentary to Metro on the reported separation of Katie Price and Lee Andrews, explaining the law surrounding short marriages, divorce, financial disclosure and alleged substantial wealth.

The Metro article, “Katie Price’s divorce from Lee Andrews hits major snag after £37,000,000 claim”, considered the legal issues which could arise following reports that the couple's marriage has ended less than a year after they married. The article can be read here - https://metro.co.uk/2026/09/18/katie-prices-divorce-lee-andrews-hits-major-snag-37-000-000-claim-29632672/ 

Daniel was asked to explain how the law in England and Wales would approach a number of unusual aspects of the case, including the fact that the parties have reportedly been married for less than 12 months, Lee Andrews' reported incarceration overseas and conflicting public claims concerning his financial position.

Can you divorce after less than one year of marriage?

Under the law of England and Wales, an application for divorce cannot be made until the parties have been married for at least one year.

This does not, however, mean that separating spouses are unable to take any steps before their first wedding anniversary.

Daniel explained to Metro that parties can take legal advice, begin negotiations regarding their financial separation and voluntarily exchange financial information before divorce proceedings are issued.

Judicial separation is also available during the first year of marriage. Although a judicial separation order does not bring the marriage itself to an end, it can provide a formal legal separation and can enable financial issues to be addressed.

Once a divorce application is issued, there are also statutory waiting periods before the marriage can finally be dissolved. There is ordinarily a minimum period of 20 weeks before a Conditional Order can be obtained, followed by a further minimum period of six weeks and one day before a Final Order can be made.

What happens when substantial wealth is claimed?

A further issue considered by Metro was the conflicting reporting concerning Lee Andrews' finances, including his reported assertion that he has substantial cryptocurrency wealth.

Daniel explained that in financial remedy proceedings the court does not simply accept what somebody says they are worth.

Both spouses are generally required to provide full and frank financial disclosure of their financial circumstances. This would ordinarily include information and supporting documentation relating to matters such as:

• property;
• bank accounts;
• savings and investments;
• businesses and company interests;
• pensions;
• income;
• debts and liabilities; and
• relevant assets held overseas.

Where one party claims to possess substantial wealth, that claim would need to be supported by appropriate evidence.

The court's focus is ultimately on identifying what assets actually exist, who owns them and what they are worth, rather than relying upon a headline estimate of someone's wealth.

Where disclosure is incomplete or inconsistent, further questions can be raised and the court can order additional disclosure. A deliberate failure to disclose assets can have serious consequences in financial proceedings.

Does a very short marriage affect the financial outcome?

The duration of a marriage is one of the circumstances which the court can take into account when determining financial claims.

There is no rule that a spouse acquires no financial claims simply because a marriage has been short. However, a marriage lasting only a matter of months may be approached differently from a marriage lasting 20 or 30 years.

In a short marriage, particular attention may be paid to the assets each party brought into the relationship, what was accumulated during the marriage and the extent to which the parties combined their finances.

Assets acquired before the marriage, or received independently through inheritance or gifts, may also be treated differently from assets created through the parties' marital partnership, although financial needs remain an important consideration.

It is also important to establish whether the parties entered into a pre-nuptial or post-nuptial agreement. Such an agreement may set out what the parties intended should happen financially upon separation and could have a material bearing on subsequent financial proceedings.

Protecting your financial position following separation

Where a relationship has ended but divorce proceedings cannot yet be issued, taking early advice can still be important.

Depending upon the circumstances, separating spouses may be advised to preserve records showing their financial position, review jointly owned property and accounts, and consider whether any immediate steps are required to protect assets.

It can also be sensible to review or make a will following separation. Separation itself does not end a marriage and, until divorce proceedings are concluded, the parties remain legally married.

Where there is evidence that a spouse may be seeking to transfer or dispose of assets with the intention of defeating the other's financial claims, the family court also has powers in appropriate cases to intervene.

Every case is highly fact-specific and the appropriate steps will depend upon the parties' individual financial circumstances.

If you require advice regarding divorce, financial settlements or protecting your financial position following separation, contact Daniel Sugaré and the Family Law team at Sugaré & Co Solicitors on 0113 244 6978.