The problem with closed doors divorce hearings is that no one in the media knows what's happening, so we reporters have to rely on dubious gossip and idle speculation. So, with day one of the Paul McCartney and Heather Mills divorce proceedings held behind closed doors yesterday, let's get down to the dubious gossip and idle speculation shall we?
As previously reported, Macca has no problem committing to making maintenance payments to his ex to support their daughter Beatrice - payments which some reckon could be as much as £2.5 million a year - but the issue of contention is what pay off Mills should get personally for the failed marriage.
There were reports yesterday of an out of court settlement having been proposed of £10 million - though some reports said that the proposal had been made by Macca and turned down by Mills, while others said Mills had proposed the figure and McCartney had said no.
Given McCartney is worth an estimated £825 million, and is rumoured to have spent £5 million alone on lawyers in relation to the divorce, and that legal types are expecting a final settlement in excess of £50 million, it seems unlikely Mills would be proposing or accepting a £10 million deal, though her friends do continue to insist that for her the divorce deal "isn't about the money".
What it is all about I'm not sure, and we may never know. As I say, we know very little about this closed doors case - although everyone seems to think that neither side is especially keen to placate the other, and that the week long hearing is likely to be gruelling for all concerned.