Amazon boss Jeff Bezos has finalised his divorce, leaving his wife MacKenzie with more than $35bn (£26bn).

The couple announced their divorce in January, ending a 25-year marriage which saw them through the beginnings of online retail giant Amazon as an online bookseller in 1994.

The company is now valued at almost $900bn (£688bn), is the second-largest employer in the US and is planning to build a second headquarters in Arlington, Virginia.

On Twitter, Ms Bezos, 48, said she was giving her husband all of her interest in The Washington Post, which he bought in 2013, and Blue Origin, the space exploration company he launched.

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She will have a 4% stake in Amazon and he will have 12%, meaning he remains the largest shareholder as well as gaining voting control of his former wife's shares.

The Amazon shares will make her the world's third-richest woman while Mr Bezos, 55, will remain the world's richest person, according to Forbes.

The world's richest woman is L'Oreal heiress Francoise Bettencourt Meyers, who has a net worth of around $54bn (£41.2bn).

Ms Bettencourt Meyers overtook Alice Walton, daughter of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton, in the rich list last month. Ms Walton is valued at $45bn (£34.3bn)

Ms Bezos said on Twitter that she was "excited" about her future plans but did not say what they were, adding that she was "grateful for the past as I look forward to what comes next".

Mr Bezos said on Thursday: "I'm grateful for her support and for her kindness in this process and am very much looking forward to our new relationship as friends and co-parents."

The couple have four children.

News of the divorce earlier in the year came just before the National Enquirer published claims that Mr Bezos was having an affair with a former TV host.

Investors had been worried that their parting could leave Mr Bezos with less voting power or that both of them would liquidate large positions.

Amazon shares closed down 0.1% after news of the divorce deal came through.

DA Davidson analyst Tom Forte said: "When I think about Amazon, and the influence Bezos has on Amazon, I would argue his influence would be the same if he had 51% shares outstanding or 1%.

"I think his influence is dictated by his vision for Amazon."

Liat Sadler, a San Francisco matrimonial lawyer, said the couple had "done a lot of work behind the scenes to make their breakup as amicable as it seems".