Madonna parties as lawyers prepare for battle

Her lawyers were getting ready to kick off divorce proceedings, but Madonna celebrated her separation from Guy Ritchie with a party for her touring team after her latest show in America.

But the party, at the Ritz Carlton Hotel in Boston, ended abruptly in the early hours when someone set off a fire alarm, sparking fears it would have to be evacuated.

The singer, who is in the middle of her Sweet And Sticky tour, had booked a whole floor for her entourage to enjoy themselves. But, sticking to her healthy regime, she left early and went to bed.

As Madonna partied, reports in London suggested that Ritchie, 40, would not be seeking a large chunk of his wife's income, but would settle for a division of their properties and a lump sum.

He would keep the £10 million Wiltshire property he calls home and their London houses would be sold and split with the profits halved, allowing Madonna to retain her properties in New York and LA.

The main source of dispute is likely to be over access to their children, with Ritchie desperate not to be parted from his eight-year-old son, Rocco.

Madonna is said to be anxious to move herself and her children back to New York, but a source close to Ritchie was quoted as saying: "He wants Rocco to be a Londoner. The idea that he will be across the Atlantic from Guy most of the time is tearing him apart.''