Biggest divorce in history: What MacKenzie Bezos plans to do with her billions

Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos attend the 2018 Vanity Fair Oscar Party. Photo / Getty Images

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon and the world's richest man, is to pay $38bn (NZ$56.53 billion) to settle the divorce with his wife of nearly 26 years, MacKenzie Bezos.

A judge is expected to rubber-stamp the world's most expensive divorce settlement this week, confirming an agreement which will see Ms Bezos, taking a 4 per cent stake in the online shopping behemoth.

The couple, who have four children, married in 1993, before Mr Bezos set up Amazon from his garage in Seattle.

Ms Bezos, 49, who will become the world's fourth richest woman, has promised she will hand over at least half the settlement to charity.

MacKenzie is going to be amazing and thoughtful and effective at philanthropy, and I’m proud of her. Her letter is so beautiful. Go get ‘em MacKenzie. https://t.co/S2gLLBQyRQ

— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) May 28, 2019

She announced her intention to make a massive donation in a blog on a website set up by The Giving Pledge, an organisation founded by Warren Buffett and Bill Gates, which encourages the super-rich to devote more than half their wealth to philanthropic causes.

Ms Bezos, an author, wrote: "I have a disproportionate amount of money to share.

"My approach to philanthropy will continue to be thoughtful. It will take time and effort and care. But I won't wait. And I will keep at it until the safe is empty."

Her generosity was hailed by Mr Bezos on Twitter who voiced his pride at the gesture by his soon to be former wife.

The agreement dwarfs previous massive divorce settlements with the previous record having been set by Russian billionaire Dmitry Rybolovlev was ordered by a Swiss court to pay more than $4.5 billion to his ex-wife, Elena.

- Telegraph Media Group