# Fiona Shackleton
**Fiona Shackleton** (Fiona Sara Shackleton), Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, is a British family law solicitor known for representing clients in some of the most high-profile divorce cases in the United Kingdom, including King Charles (then [Prince of Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/prince-of-wales)) in his 1996 divorce from [Diana, Princess of Wales](https://www.edgepedia.org/diana-princess-of-wales), Sir Paul McCartney, and Princess Haya of Jordan[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) • [2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). She has been a partner at Payne Hicks Beach in London since 2001 and sits in the [House of Lords](https://www.edgepedia.org/house-of-lords) as a Conservative life peer[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) • [3](https://api.parliament.uk/mnis-prodder/parse?filter=house%3Dlords%7Ciseligible%3Dtrue%2FPreferredNames%2F). The British press has called her "the only celebrity lawyer" in the UK, and peers describe her as Britain's most feared and revered divorce lawyer[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [4](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267219/meet-fiona-shackleton-charles-spencers-lawyer-his-divorce-case-shes-also-worked-madonna-paul).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Full name and title | Fiona Sara Shackleton, The Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, LVO[5](https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?firstName=Fiona&lastName=Sara&sraNumber=120534) • [3](https://api.parliament.uk/mnis-prodder/parse?filter=house%3Dlords%7Ciseligible%3Dtrue%2FPreferredNames%2F) |
| Profession | Solicitor, SRA number 120534, admitted 1 October 1980; partner at Payne Hicks Beach LLP, London[5](https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?firstName=Fiona&lastName=Sara&sraNumber=120534) |
| Career | Brecher & Co 1981–84 (partner 1983); Farrer & Co, partner, 1984–2000; Payne Hicks Beach since 2001[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) |
| Signature cases | Charles v Diana (1996, £17 million settlement); Prince Andrew v Sarah, Duchess of York (1996, £3 million); McCartney v Mills (2008); Haya v Al Maktoum; Potanin v Potanina[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) |
| Honours | LVO (New Year's Honours List 2006); life peer, 21 December 2010; honorary doctorate, Exeter University, 2010; Legal 500 UK Outstanding Achievement in Legal Services prize, 2019[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) • [3](https://api.parliament.uk/mnis-prodder/parse?filter=house%3Dlords%7Ciseligible%3Dtrue%2FPreferredNames%2F) • [6](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf) |
| Chambers ranking | Star Individual, Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth (London); Band 2, Family/Children Law (London); 29 years ranked[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) |
| Publications | *The Divorce Handbook* (co-author); founder of "The Shackleton Project" research project on human relationships[6](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf) |
## Career
Shackleton qualified as a solicitor in 1980 and was admitted by the Solicitors Regulation Authority on 1 October 1980[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) • [5](https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?firstName=Fiona&lastName=Sara&sraNumber=120534). Her early career was spent at Brecher & Co, where she became a partner in 1983, before joining Farrer & Co, the solicitors to Queen Elizabeth II, in 1984; she rose to partner there and stayed until 2000[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017) • [2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). A Chambers ranking entry gives her Brecher & Co dates as 1982 to 1984, differing slightly from the 1981 to 1984 range in her profile[6](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf).
In 2001 she moved to Payne Hicks Beach as a partner, where her practice centers on complex and confidential divorce proceedings for high-profile and ultra-high-net-worth individuals, many with an international element[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017). She remains on the SRA register with an annual practicing certificate and no published regulatory or disciplinary decisions[5](https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?firstName=Fiona&lastName=Sara&sraNumber=120534).
## Notable cases
**Royal divorces.** In 1996 [Shackleton](https://www.edgepedia.org/shackleton) acted for the then Prince of Wales in his divorce from Diana, Princess of Wales, negotiating a £17 million settlement; it was also agreed that Diana would give up her "HRH" title[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). The same year she represented Prince Andrew in his separation from [Sarah, Duchess of York](https://www.edgepedia.org/sarah-duchess-of-york), in which Andrew paid out £3 million in May 1996[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). She continues to represent Prince William and Prince Harry, the sons of Charles and Diana[7](https://elpais.com/gente/2024-04-15/fiona-shackleton-la-abogada-de-los-divorcios-de-las-grandes-fortunas-britanicas-a-la-que-llaman-la-magnolia-de-acero.html?outputType=amp).
**Celebrity and high-net-worth clients.** Her client list includes Sir Paul McCartney, Madonna, Guy Ritchie, Liam Gallagher, and [Nigella Lawson](https://www.edgepedia.org/nigella-lawson), whom she helped through her 2013 divorce from [Charles Saatchi](https://www.edgepedia.org/charles-saatchi)[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [4](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267219/meet-fiona-shackleton-charles-spencers-lawyer-his-divorce-case-shes-also-worked-madonna-paul). During the McCartney divorce, on 17 March 2008, [Heather Mills](https://www.edgepedia.org/heather-mills) poured a jug of water over Shackleton's head in London's High Court, an incident widely reported the next day[8](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/).
**Princess Haya.** Shackleton represented Princess Haya bint [Hussein of Jordan](https://www.edgepedia.org/hussein-of-jordan) in her custody battle against Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai, a case that produced the largest divorce settlement in British history[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [8](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/). Colleagues describe her working through the case even while hospitalized for treatment on an arm injury[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html).
**Potanin v Potanina.** Most recently she led the team that achieved a significant victory for Mr Vladimir Potanin in the landmark case of *Potanin v Potanina*; the judgment achieved substantial change for those seeking to bring applications under Part III of the Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017). In 2024 she was confirmed as legal counsel for Charles Spencer, Earl Spencer and brother of Princess Diana, in his divorce from his third wife, Karen Gordon[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [4](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267219/meet-fiona-shackleton-charles-spencers-lawyer-his-divorce-case-shes-also-worked-madonna-paul).
## Background and education
Born in London, Shackleton is the child of Jonathan Charkham, who served as a sheriff of the [City of London](https://www.edgepedia.org/city-of-london) and advised the [Bank of England](https://www.edgepedia.org/bank-of-england), and his wife Moira, who came from the Salmon family, former co-owners of the food manufacturer J Lyons & Son; on her mother's side, her cousins include Nigella Lawson, Dominic Lawson, and the Guardian columnist [George Monbiot](https://www.edgepedia.org/george-monbiot)[8](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/). She was educated at Benenden School in Kent and studied law at Exeter University, leaving with a third-class degree[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html) • [8](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/). After graduating she worked briefly as a caterer for boardroom lunches and livery companies before returning to law in 1980[8](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/). She was 68 years old as of June 2024[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html).
## Honours and peerage
Shackleton was appointed to the rank of LVO ([Lieutenant](https://www.edgepedia.org/lieutenant) of the [Royal Victorian Order](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-victorian-order)) in the [New Year](https://www.edgepedia.org/new-year)'s Honours List 2006, received an honorary doctorate from Exeter University in 2010, and was made a life peer that same year[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017). On 21 December 2010 she was introduced to the House of Lords as Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, where she sits as a Conservative member[3](https://api.parliament.uk/mnis-prodder/parse?filter=house%3Dlords%7Ciseligible%3Dtrue%2FPreferredNames%2F) • [2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). In 2019 she received the Outstanding Achievement in Legal Services prize at The Legal 500 UK Awards[6](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf).
## Reputation and other work
Shackleton is known by the nickname "steel magnolia", a reference to her mixture of toughness and charm, and charges at least £550 per hour[2](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html). Chambers ranks her as a Star Individual in Family/Matrimonial Finance: Ultra High Net Worth in London and in Band 2 for Family/Children Law, and notes 29 years of continuous ranking; client and peer feedback cited by Chambers praises her strategic insight, tactical judgment, and leadership of her family law team[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017). She has been recognized in *The Best Lawyers in the United Kingdom* since 2009[9](https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/fiona-shackleton-lvo/88496).
She is the co-author of *The Divorce Handbook*[6](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf). Drawing on 40 years in the profession, she runs "The Shackleton Project", a research project in human relationships aimed at educating people in making the right decision for marriage[1](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017). She speaks on family law topics, including developments in the law on pre-nuptial agreements, as she did in a talk to Eton College's Law Society titled "The Life of a Family Law Solicitor"[10](https://www.etoncollege.com/news-and-diary/school-news/law-society-4/).
## References
1. [Fiona Shackleton, UK 2026, Chambers Profiles](https://chambers.com/lawyer/fiona-shackleton-uk-1%3A10017)
2. [Fiona Shackleton: the fearsome divorce lawyer hired by the King, Paul McCartney and now Earl Spencer, The Standard](https://www.standard.co.uk/lifestyle/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-king-charles-diana-earl-spencer-paul-mccartney-b1163583.html)
3. [Members: Shackleton of Belgravia, B., UK Parliament MNIS](https://api.parliament.uk/mnis-prodder/parse?filter=house%3Dlords%7Ciseligible%3Dtrue%2FPreferredNames%2F)
4. [Meet Fiona Shackleton, Charles Spencer's lawyer in his divorce case, South China Morning Post](https://www.scmp.com/magazines/style/entertainment/article/3267219/meet-fiona-shackleton-charles-spencers-lawyer-his-divorce-case-shes-also-worked-madonna-paul)
5. [Fiona Sara Shackleton, SRA Person details, Solicitors Regulation Authority](https://www.sra.org.uk/consumers/register/person/?firstName=Fiona&lastName=Sara&sraNumber=120534)
6. [Leading Individuals, Family/Matrimonial, Chambers rankings PDF](https://chambers.com/downloads/rankings/833/family_matrimonial.pdf)
7. [Fiona Shackleton, la abogada de los divorcios de las grandes fortunas británicas, El País](https://elpais.com/gente/2024-04-15/fiona-shackleton-la-abogada-de-los-divorcios-de-las-grandes-fortunas-britanicas-a-la-que-llaman-la-magnolia-de-acero.html?outputType=amp)
8. [Fiona Shackleton: The most feared divorce lawyer in Britain, Spear's](https://spearswms.com/law/fiona-shackleton-divorce-lawyer-britain/)
9. [Fiona Shackleton LVO, Best Lawyers profile](https://www.bestlawyers.com/lawyers/fiona-shackleton-lvo/88496)
10. [Law Society: Baroness Shackleton of Belgravia, 'The Life of a Family Law Solicitor', Eton College](https://www.etoncollege.com/news-and-diary/school-news/law-society-4/)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Law and justice › Courts and legal practice › Legal biographies › Practising lawyers and advocates › Barristers, solicitors, and advocates › British solicitors*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 17, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 12, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license