According to dailymail.co.uk

Google executive chairman Eric Schmidtt is said to be heading for a divorce costing up to $1.5billion – the second most expensive in history.

According to the New York Post the Google executive chairman is planning to sell 2.4million of his shares in the company to help pay for his split with wife Wendy as he continues a year and half long liaison with Manhattan beauty Lisa Shields.

 Costly split: Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy Schmidt are set to have the second most expensive divorce in historyCostly split: Chairman of Google Eric Schmidt and his wife Wendy Schmidt are set to have the second most expensive divorce in history

Schmidt is looking towards a ‘transition and an amicable separation and settlement’ with the mother of his two children, but needs the extra cash to pay for it according to the New York Post.

If it all goes to his wife it would mean Schmidt, the 136th richest man in the world, would be giving away a quarter of his $6.2billion fortune to Wendy, to whom he has been married for 13 years.

During that time, Schmidt has overseen Google as it has become one of the biggest companies on Earth with annual profits of $9.7billion.

Filings last week showed that the 56-year-old intends to diversify his investments by selling the  Google stocks.

A source said: ‘There are many reasons why he’s selling shares, mostly business reasons, but he’s also working towards a transition and an amicable separation and settlement with his wife.

‘They are both very private, so they’re quietly dividing up assets without drawing attention.

‘There’s been no paperwork filed.’

Lisa shields
 Mistress: Schmidt and Lisa Shields, 46, who is the Council on Foreign Relations executive, have been dating for a year-and-a-half though are rarely seen together

If the divorce goes through then Schmidt’s property empire would be among the assets up for division including his $20million mansion with four acres of land in Montecito, California he bought from U.S. TV show host Ellen Degeneres in 2007.

The site has landscaped gardens, a tennis court, a swimming pool and spa, a 5,000 square foot main house with four bedrooms and six bathrooms.

Millions of viewers were treated to an inside look at the Montecito property when Kim Kardashian rented it for her wedding last year.

Schmidt also has a mansion home in Nantucket in Massachusetts where he and his wife used to spend their summers in addition to a home in Atherton, near Google’s Silicon Valley headquarters.

Schmidt’s home in Atherton is worth $3.7million and has five bedrooms and three-and-a-half bathrooms covering a total of 4,840 sq ft. The neighbours include actress Shirley Temple and Grateful Dead singer Bob Weir.

Schmidt also owns the 195-foot super yacht Oasis which he bought for $72.3million.

The boat its said to be one of the ‘highest spec yachts ever built’ with its own pool and gym that can be converted into a disco.

An aerial view of Schmidt's $20million Montecito mansion last August as it was being set up for Kim Kardashian's weddingAn aerial view of Schmidt’s $20million Montecito mansion last August as it was being set up for Kim Kardashian’s wedding

 Schmidt paid a reported $72million for the 195-foot megayacht Oasis, pictured hereSchmidt paid a reported $72million for the 195-foot megayacht Oasis, pictured here

The divorce would also shed a light on the exact nature of Schmidt’s marriage, which has been the subject of speculation for years.

 Schmidt’s current girlfriend is Council on Foreign Relations executive Lisa Shields, 46, who he has been seeing for a year-and-a-half.

The two were seen together last summer in the Hamptons and he has bought her a Dutch Warmblood show-jumping horse as a token of his affection.

Schmidt and Shields were seen cruising on Oasis in the Caribbean and the South of France last summer.

Shields, a divorced mother, used to be a producer at ABC News and was linked to Andrew Cuomo shortly before he began dating Sandra Lee.