London - The end of the seven-year marriage between US pop star Madonna and her British film director husband Guy Ritchie is to be sealed before the High Court in London Friday, it has been announced.

A listing published by the High Court Thursday showed that the celebrity couple are scheduled for a "quickie" divorce procedure with a decree nisi due to be announced at 1000 GMT Friday.

The case is listed under Ciccone M L v Ritchie G S, and will be heard before a judge in the High Court's Family Division.

Neither Madonna, 50, who is currently in the United States on her Sticky and Sweet tour, nor her 40-year-old husband, were expected to attend the proceedings.

The couple announced they were splitting on October 15, ending months of speculation.

High-profile lawyers employed by both sides had been working "round the clock" to hammer out a settlement and custody arrangements for their three children.

According to the Evening Standard newspaper Thursday, Ritchie had refused to take a penny of Madonna's fortune of an estimated 300 million pounds (480 million dollars) and she would keep "the bulk" of her wealth. Ritchie's fortune is estimated at 25 million pounds.

Madonna married British director Guy Ritchie in 2000. His first full-length movie was the highly appreciated Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, followed by the wildly successful Snatch, in which he cast Hollywood favorites like Brad Pitt, Benicio del Toro and Dennis farina, but also the constantly angry Jason Statham and football player Vinnie Jones. Another acclaimed movie he directed and wrote was Revolver in 2005.

As a couple, Madonna and Guy Ritchie have a son, Rocco, born in 2000, and an adopted son, David. Madonna also has a daughter, Maria Lourdes, conceived with her personal trainer Carlos Leon, after her divorce from Sean Penn and before marrying Guy Ritchie. The couple was criticized and accused of breaking adoption laws, in what was deemed by the media as Madonna’s attempt to copy Angelina Jolie’s numerous adoptions of children from third world countries. Madonna was also actively involved in studying Kabbalah and has donated large amounts to the Kabbalah Centre.

Moreover, her die-hard fans – irrespective of age, have offered and shown full support to the star. Far from spiteful, Madonna did make a reference to her now ex-husband, dedicating the song “Miles Away” to the “emotionally retarded”, targeting Guy Ritchie.

The song also includes lines which are clearly related to rocky relationships, such as “When I’m gone you’ll realize/That I’m the best thing that happened to you”. The star openly admitted that this particular line was actually inspired by Guy Ritchie. Madonna said that a long-distance relationship is a continuous struggle that requires constant hard work. It seems that at least for now, the relationship struggle has stopped.