Paul McCartney “won’t make any concessions” in divorce battle

Paul McCartney and Heather Mills have today returned to the High Court in London for the second day of their divorce hearing.

The five-day closed-door session started in Court 34 of the Royal Courts of Justice yesterday morning and after nearly seven hours inside, Paul left the courthouse smiling while Heather looked close to tears when she left the building 20 minutes later.

But a friend of the former Beatle told the Mirror that his smile should not be misconstrued: “It gives Paul no pleasure to have to go through this. Not only for his sake but for Heather’s too. She wanted her day in court and now she’s got it.”

“He’s more sorry than angry - but he will not be making any concessions. He always wanted their divorce to be conducted quietly and with dignity and Heather was not prepared to allow that.”

“Now he wants it to be sorted out through the proper channels - and unfortunately for both of them, that is in court.”

After parting ways from her lawyers late last year, Heather is representing herself in court and a friend explained: “She has been preparing for this for weeks and weeks. She wanted it to go to court. This is what she has been waiting for.”

“She has been very emotional over the weekend because she was incredibly nervous but she is relishing the opportunity to cross-examine Paul.”

“She has prepared folders of newspaper cuttings just like she did on GMTV. That was the evidence that being married to Paul made her a hate figure for the rest of her life. She brought into that the death threats she had, the maliciousness of what she calls the ‘Beatle nutters’.”

“She has already spoken before of how she became so low after threats to her and Beatrice’s life that she considered suicide.”

“Her argument is that for the rest of her life she will be this hate figure in Britain. As such, she will argue, her earning capability has been severely damaged. Consequently, she will say, Paul should compensate financially for that - for the rest of her life.”

The hearing is expected to last five days and aims to finalise an “in principle” document, specifying financial details and custody arrangements for their four year old daughter Beatrice.