Katie Price‘s marriage to jailed husband Lee Andrews may not be quite what it seems after leading lawyers raised questions over whether the union is legally valid in the UK.
It is not the first time doubt has been cast over whether the former glamour model, 48, and self-styled businessman Lee, 43, are properly hitched. The couple’s first wedding, a glamorous ceremony at a five-star Dubai hotel in January, turned out not to be legally binding. It was a symbolic service led by a celebrant – essentially a show, with no legal weight in England and Wales.
Only weeks later, in February did the pair formally register their marriage at Abu Dhabi’s judicial department. But that second, official union is now under the microscope as Lee sits behind bars in the city’s notorious Al Awir prison over alleged fraud.
Amarjit Singh Ryatt, marriage expert and Head of Family and Divorce at leading UK firm Taylor Rose, told The Mirror that a United Arab Emirates (UAE) marriage faces strict checks before Britain will recognise it. The document has to be stamped and approved by the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs then go through extra steps to be deemed valid here in the UK.
View 2 ImagesKatie Price and Lee Andrews married in a glamorous ceremony at a five-star Dubai hotel in January(Image: @wesleeeandrews/Instagram)
Ryatt explained that a UAE marriage has to be stamped and approved by the issuing emirate’s authority and the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs, then legalised through the UAE Embassy in London before Britain will recognise it.
“UK authorities will look for proper attestation [official stamping], accurate identities, and that the marriage was conducted in accordance with local law,” he said. “Red flags include missing or inconsistent attestations, discrepancies in names or passport numbers, and certificates issued by non-competent bodies.”
Brett Frankle, partner at top firm Mills & Reeve, said modern UAE certificates typically have a built-in safeguard. “They are very advanced these days and come with a QR code you can scan to check their validity,” he said. Scanning it confirms the certificate has been officially approved.
The document Katie has made public to prove her marriage to Lee does not contain a QR code. When The Mirror showed Brett a copy of that document, he was not able to confirm its authenticity.
“It looks like an extract from the registration of marriage record,” he said, referring to a government summary of the marriage, “but not the marriage certificate itself, which the parties will have.”
Katie – declared bankrupt in 2019 and known to have signed no pre-nup – also has a fortune to protect. Brett has urged her not to drag her feet.
“Marriage in England isn’t like Monopoly and you don’t get £200 just for passing ‘Go’,” he said. In England, he explained, everything built up during the marriage is split on divorce – so the richer partner should draw a line under an unhappy union as soon as possible to limit claims.
Article continues below
“There is no doubt money to be made with this story,” he added, “but that would have to be shared equally if it is made whilst the marriage subsists.” His advice to Katie is that even though you cannot divorce within the first year, she could start the paperwork now and “bring the guillotine down on this chapter.”
It comes as Lee is reportedly being told he must pay more than £100,000 to walk free from prison – a sum insiders say he is confident he can raise himself, insisting Katie “won’t need to pay anything.”