Ex-wife of Saudi billionaire seeks £196m in divorce claim

The ex-wife of a Saudi billionaire has told a family judge her multi-million-pound divorce claim is “not unreasonable”.

Former supermodel Christina Estrada, 54, said at London’s High Court that the award she is seeking reflects the standard of living she enjoyed during her marriage to Sheikh Walid Juffali.

The court heard details of the couple’s lavish, globe-trotting lifestyle.

However, lawyers for the sheikh have described her post-marriage budget demands as “excessive, exaggerated, and firmly in gasp territory”.

In a case that could result in one of the largest divorce awards in British legal history, Estrada’s lawyers are arguing it is the 61-year-old sheikh’s assets and lifestyle which have the so-called gasp factor and justify her claim that she is only seeking to cover her “reasonable needs”.

They contend Juffali’s offer would leave Estrada — his second wife and mother of one of his six children — some £37m (€44m) in cash and assets, and that was “clearly inadequate”.

They estimate Juffali’s wealth at over £648m, including a UK property portfolio of more than £140m.

According to documents before the court, Estrada is seeking a “clean break” award of over £196m.