Late last month there were rumors going around that Madonna and Guy Ritchie had reached a divorce settlement (just days after their split was confirmed to the public) and were on track for one of the quickest, cleanest celebrity divorces on record … then two days later we got word from Maddy‘s publicist that the rumors were false and that no deal had been struck, leading some to assume that a long, nasty divorce battle laid ahead for the couple. But today, just about one month from the report that no deal had been struck we get word that yes, indeed, a deal has been struck … and furthermore, the High Court of London has granted the couple a quickie divorce! They are almost, entirely and officially dunzo, y’all:

It’s official! (Almost.) Just one month after announcing their split, Madonna and Guy Ritchie were granted a preliminary “quickie divorce” Friday in the High Court of London. According to a document released by the court, 50-year-old Madonna – the petitioner – said in a sworn statement that she is divorcing Ritchie for his “unreasonable behavior.” In a court proceeding that took all of one minute, the judge issued a decree nisi – the first step in the U.K.’s two-stage divorce process – to “Ciccone ML” and “Ritchie GS” and 16 other (non-celebrity) couples. Neither Madonna or her director ex attended the hearing. In fact, even their attorneys skipped the courtroom. It’s known as “quickie divorce” because if there are no disputes in the next six weeks and one day, the couple’s split will become decree absolute. Ritchie, 40, who has been working in London on the set of his new movie Sherlock Holmes, seemed relieved by the speedy resolution. He reportedly told the Daily Mirror late on Thursday, “It was never about money – never about her bloody art collection. I just wanted to settle it and move on.” He added to the paper, “I didn’t raise any objections at any stage until she insisted the children lived permanently in New York.” (According to British press reports, the settlement calls for sons Rocco, 8, and David, 3, to split time between the U.S. and London. Madonna’s 12-year-old daughter Lourdes – whose father is the New York-based Carlos Leon – will live with her mother.) Madonna’s representative in the U.K. declined to comment.

Wow! Even tho the settlement wasn’t reached immediately after announcing their split (which was wholly unreasonable from the start), I am really kinda surprised that the whole matter could be decided upon so quickly. Despite the fact that I can believe that the couple decided not to drag this divorce on and on, I didn’t think the London High Court (or any court) would be able to rule so soon — and with such finality. I can also believe that any disagreements between the couple had more to do with custody of the children rather than money or property. Seriously, this has to be one of the fastest celebrity divorces ever … if you consider the amount of wealth involved in this dissolution of marriage, it’s pretty astronomical that the deal could be stuck so fast. As I said before, what Madonna wants — Madonna gets. If things continue on at this pace, the couple should be completely and totally dunzo by mid-January.

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