Millionaire family 'tearing itself apart' in bitter High Court divorce battle over £50m engineering fortune Richard and Susan Shield were married for 43 years but are now divorcing They are arguing over money and Mrs Shield claims her husband is too ill to represent himself Mr Justice Holman said case fills him with 'nothing but despair' 'Despair': Mr Justice Holman has spoken of his disappointment over the furious legal battle which is destroying a wealthy family A wealthy family is 'tearing itself apart' in a court battle to divide £50million following a bitter divorce, according to a judge. Mr Justice Holman told a High Court hearing he was filled with 'nothing but despair' to see the 'extremely tragic' fight between engineering tycoon Richard Shield and his estranged wife Susan. The couple, who have been married for 43 years, have spent £700,000 on legal bills even before their divorce case comes to court. Mrs Shield, 69, launched divorce proceedings against her 72-year-old husband, who is believed to be mentally ill, alleging that he gave more money to their son than to her and their three daughters. Mr Shield amassed a huge fortune through his engineering business and property portfolio, in which his wife had a five per cent stake. They are now arguing over whether or not the family fortune is being held in trust for the couple's son Christopher, 35. In a pre-trial hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice in London earlier this month, Mr Justice Holman said: 'This family appears to be tearing itself apart and it fills the sympathetic but detached observer such as myself with nothing but despair. There appears to be an intense conflict within the family in relation to certain dispositions which were, or may have been, made some years ago by the husband, and which may appear to have favoured the son in preference to the daughters and to the disadvantage of the wife. The judge said Mr Shield, who had previously been 'compulsorily detained' due to his psychiatric problems, was now living in the former marital home while his wife was living with a daughter. 'Tragic': A High Court hearing at the Royal Courts of Justice, pictured, heard how the 43-year marriage of Richard and Susan Shield was ending with an argument over money 'It is clearly a fundamental part of the background to recent events that the husband has been both physically and mentally or psychiatrically unwell,' he added. Therein lies a significant element of the tragedy. The court heard that doubts remain over whether Mr Shield currently has the legal capacity to make important decisions for himself, and the judge directed that his condition be further assessed by a psychiatrist. In the hearing, Mrs Shield argued that the Official Solicitor should be appointed to represent her husband, rather than a lawyer from the same firm that is representing their son, although Mr Justice Holman said he did not have time to rule on the matter. The judge said: 'I have been faced with a situation that is, frankly, extremely tragic and appears unedifying. After a marriage of no less than 43 years, a wife has felt constrained to petition for divorce from her husband. There is a decree nisi but not yet a decree absolute. Lamenting the fact that opportunities for compromise had been missed, he added: 'I have to say, as I leave this very long day, that I do so with a feeling of the utmost despair that this family could have spent three quarters of a million pounds just to get to this stage.'