Donald Trump Jr. and his wife Vanessa Trump greet Republican caucus-goers in precinct 317 at Valley Church ahead of the party caucus on February 1, 2016 in West Des Moines, Iowa. (Getty)
Donald Trump Jr.’s wife has filed for divorce, the New York Post reports.
Vanessa Haydon Trump, who has five children with President Donald Trump’s oldest son, is seeking an uncontested divorce in New York, meaning a custody battle and a fight over assets is not likely, the New York Post reports.
“After 12 years of marriage, we have decided to go our separate ways,” the couple told the Post’s Page Six in a joint statement. “We will always have tremendous respect for each other and our families. We have five beautiful children together and they remain our top priority. We ask for your privacy during this time.”
Legal experts told Page Six that the couple likely has a prenup.
“Prenuptial agreements and confidentiality agreements are in the Trump dynasty DNA so I would be surprised if Donald Jr. went into the marriage completely naked,” divorce lawyer Michael Stutman, of the firm Stutman Stutman & Lichtenstein LLP, told the newspaper. He is not involved in the case.
Friends told Page Six that the couple has been having relationship issues.
“The problems have been there for a long time, the couple had hoped to stay together during the president’s time in office, but it is getting harder to resolve their issues. He’s never there,” a source told Page Six.
Another source said, “Don Jr. has been busy traveling, which has contributed to their problems. Vanessa is a devoted mother, but she is increasingly lonely and alone in the house with the children.”
Here’s what you need to know about Vanessa Haydon Trump:
1. Vanessa & Donald Jr. Have Been Married Since November 2005
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Vanessa Haydon, then a model and actress, met Donald Trump Jr. at a fashion show in 2003. She was introduced to her future husband by her now-father-in-law, Donald Trump, according to the New York Times.
According to the Times, Trump Sr. gave his son flak on the “Larry King Show,” criticizing his decision to accept a free engagement ring from a New Jersey store in exchange for announcing his engagement there.
“You have a name that is hot as a pistol, you have to be very careful with things like this,” the elder Trump said.
The couple married in November 2005 at the Trump-owned Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
Vanessa Trump actually helped raise her new husband’s profile, the Times said, taking him around to charity events and earning headlines in gossip columns.
2. They Have 3 Sons & 2 Daughters Together
Donald Trump Jr., wife Vanessa Haydon, and children Kai Madison and Donald John III. (Getty)
Vanessa Trump has five young children with Donald Trump Jr.
They have two daughters, Kai Madison, 8, and Chloe Sophia, 1. They also have three sons, Donald John Trump III, 6; Tristan Milos, 4; and Spencer Frederick, 3.
3. She Was a Model & Once Dated Leonardo DiCaprio
Vanessa Haydon, right, in 1998, then 20, with designer Charlie Brown. (Getty)
Vanessa Haydon began modeling when she was a child and was signed to the famed Wilhemina agency, according to the New York Times. Her mother, Bonnie Haydon, ran the Kay Models agency.
When she was 20, she dated actor Leonardo DiCaprio, according to New York Magazine.
4. She Grew Up in an Upper East Side Townhouse & Was a Tennis Star at the Dwight School
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Vanessa Trump grew up in a townhouse in the Upper East Side of Manhattan, according to the New York Times.
She was a student and tennis star at the Dwight School on the Upper West Side.
A lifelong friend, Shawn Modell, told the Times Vanessa Haydon often joked a lot and usually wore jeans, focusing on an intimate circle of friends, not social advancement.
She went on to study psychology at New York’s Marymount Manhattan College.
5. She Launched a Handbag Line in 2010 & is Involved in Her Family’s Charity Efforts
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Vanessa Trump has been involved in charity efforts from a young age, including her brother-in-law Eric Trump’s foundation, where she serves on the executive committee.
She volunteered on an Operation Smile medical mission in Nicaragua in 2008 along with her husband, according to the Eric Trump Foundation’s website.
She started a handbag line, La Poshett, in 2010, “an exclusive, one-of-a-kind handbag line for women who seek elegance, luxury and grace for both day and evening ensemble with sleek, smart clutches, handbags and pouches.”