London - US pop queen Madonna was probably still asleep in Philadelphia early Friday after entertaining fans with her raunchy Sticky & Sweet tour the night before when a district judge in London granted the decree confirming that her eight-year marriage with Guy Ritchie was over.

The sober proceedings, listed as Ciccione M L v Ritchie G S at the High Court in London, were in stark contrast to the pair's lavish fairy-tale wedding at Scotland's Skibo Castle on December 23, 2000.

Unlike that cold and snowy winter's day, there were no photo opportunities Friday for the masses of photographers who turned up, despite the celebrity couple's decision to stay away from the court in line with their wish for a "dignified" divorce, following a private settlement over assets and their three children.

For Ritchie, already a film director of international repute, his marriage to one of the most famous women in the world brought further fame, while Madonna was said to be keen to crown a string of stormy relationships with a marriage that was meant to last.

But although Madonna, who turned 50 in August, and the 40-year-old filmmaker decided not to wash their dirty linen in public, there had been ample signs that the marriage was on the rocks.

Madonna, the Material Girl with an estimated wealth of 300 million pounds (450 million dollars) and a cosmopolitan outlook forged by her lifestyle and upbringing, initially enjoyed the buzz of London and the "tweed and cardigan" lifestyle that goes with a lavish English country house.

She once called Ritchie "the coolest guy in the universe" and even took to pheasant shooting, declaring in 2005 that she loved her bespoke outfits and the "fun." But that pastime, heavily criticized by animal rights groups, did not last.

Nor did her love for Ritchie, a talented but rather shy filmmaker, who once admitted that he tries to conceal his privileged private school upbringing by putting on a "working class accent."

Madonna, who became increasingly obsessed with fitness and the Jewish mysticism of Kabbalah, forbade their children to watch TV and made them eat only macrobiotic food, reports said.

As she disappeared for long hours to exercise in an adjacent luxury town house in fashionable Mayfair, which she had converted into a gym, Ritchie complained that he was left looking after the children.

Madonna's plan to adopt another child, this time a girl from Malawi, as a companion for 3-year-old David Banda, was reported to have been strongly opposed by Ritchie. That only added to the strain.

For her part, Madonna alleged that her husband was "more interested in going to the pub" than talking to her. She also accused him of being "mean" with money.

In the last six months of their marriage, communication was conducted through lawyers and middlemen.

"Thank God," Ritchie was reported to have exclaimed when he heard that the divorce was set to be finalized.

"It was never ever about money," said the filmmaker, who has a considerable fortune of his own and is currently shooting a film about the life of Sherlock Holmes.

If reports that Ritchie is walking away from Madonna without a penny are correct, the pair would have bucked the trend of big money payouts between wealthy couples.

However, reports Friday said Ritchie had rejected a 20-million- pound settlement offer from Madonna because it would have required him to let her take all three children with her to New York.

Madonna, a report in the Daily Mail said Friday, was "gutted" that 50/50 access to the children had been agreed upon. Her recent long absences from home while on tour had counted against her, it said.

"Her lawyers made clear to her that if she had gone to court not only would it have been a slanging match, but she could have lost more access," a source told the paper.

The singer will start a new life as a single in New York, taking with her Lourdes, her 12-year-old daughter from a relationship with Carlos Leon, her Cuban former fitness instructor.

Rocco, the couple's 8-year-old son, and the adopted David are meanwhile set for years of trans-Atlantic crossings as they spend time with their separated parents. (dpa)