McCartney, Mills in initial divorce hearings

LONDON: Beatles Legend Paul McCartney appeared cheerful on Thursday as he arrived in court for a preliminary hearing over his divorce from estranged wife Heather.

"Good morning," the sharply-dressed musician said to waiting reporters before heading into the closed-door hearing, believed to be discussing arrangements before the full court case.

His wife former actor Heather Mills arrived a short time earlier pulling a case containing legal documents for the case, which the couple have struggled to keep from turning bitter.

The McCartney/Mills hearing was listed as 'Case' with the number FD06D03721 outside the otherwise nondescript building where the preliminary hearing took place before a judge, Justice Bennett.

McCartney arrived by car, which was allowed into a car park normally reserved for judges.

Unexpectedly, the couple had also both appeared in court on Wednesday for the initial hearings.

Mills-McCartney, 38, and the former Beatle, who have a three-year-old daughter, announced the end of their four-year marriage during last May.

But the divorce has turned into an acrimonious affair played out in the media, with leaked divorce papers in November claiming McCartney mistreated his second wife.

One press report last month said McCartney is planning to offer a 25-million-pound (38-million-euro, $49 million) settlement to his estranged wife to end the bitter divorce battle.

Citing various unnamed sources, the tabloid said that the 64-year-old had instructed his legal team to make the offer in an effort to avoid a public and messy court case.