Adele has filed for divorce from her husband Simon Konecki, according to court documents lodged in California.
The 31-year-old singer split from her charity entrepreneur husband in April after three years of marriage and seven years together as a couple.
They have a son, Angelo, who was born in October 2012, and the pair have said previously they are “committed to raising their son together lovingly”.
Confirmation of the divorce immediately triggered speculation about how the Tottenham-born pop star’s estimated £150 million fortune will be divided.
She is not thought to have agreed a prenuptial agreement with the former Lehman Brothers investment banker.
One legal expert said that the decision to file for divorce in California, where they own property and Konecki’s ethical company Life Water has a base, could mean he is entitled to as much as half of the singer’s wealth acquired during the time they were living together.
However, others said that because he is independently wealthy and they appeared to have split amicably he was unlikely to make an aggressive claim on her wealth.
Louise Allard, director at Allard Bailey Family Law, said another factor in choosing to divorce in California could be speed as the matrimonial courts in England are sometimes dogged by lengthy delays.
She said: “When you apply for the final decree it can take up to three months for the courts even to reply and this is causing huge problems for people.”
The couple first began dating in the summer of 2011 and married in a secret ceremony in 2016. Adele did not publicly speak about the wedding until her acceptance speech at the 2017 Grammys.
They have not been seen in public together since January, when they attended an Elton John concert at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
Adele released her debut album, 19, in 2008, which contained the songs Chasing Pavements and Hometown Glory and reached number one in the UK.
Her follow-up, 2011’s 21, brought even more success thanks to the singles Someone Like You, Rolling In The Deep and Rumour Has It.
The record topped the charts in 30 countries, including the US and UK, and cemented Adele’s status as one of the world’s most successful artists.
Adele released her most recent album, 25, in 2015, which contained the single Hello. It proved to be another critical and commercial success.
Recent reports suggest the north London star is recording new music.
She was pictured entering a recording studio in New York City in March.
