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The wife of Jeff Bezos, the Amazon founder, could become the world’s richest woman if his fortune is split equally during their divorce proceedings.

Bezos, 54, and wife MacKenzie, 48, announced yesterday that, following a trial separation, they had decided to end their marriage of 25 years.

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Their divorce settlement is likely to be the most expensive in history and may reshape global wealth rankings. The Daily Beast is reporting that there was no prenuptial agreement in place, and that Bezos is already dating again.

Having started Amazon from his garage in Seattle, Bezos went on to become the richest man on the planet, with an estimated fortune of US$137 billion.

As well as his shareholding in Amazon, Bezos owns the Washington Post newspaper as well as a string of other investments including a Gulfstream jet and homes in Seattle, Washington, Beverly Hills and New York.

If the couple file for divorce in Washington, the state where they were married and Amazon has its headquarters, half of Bezos’s wealth could go to his wife under the state’s community property law, unless there is a prenuptial agreement in place.