Melania could receive '$68 million' if she divorced Trump

Now Donald Trump has lost the US presidential election, attention has turned to his marriage to Melania Trump.

There's speculation Melania, 50, is counting down the days until she can divorce her husband, having been a 'reluctant' participant in his political ambitions to begin with.

The couple met in 1998 at a party in New York when Melania was working as a fashion model. They were married in January 2005 and have a son, Barron, who is 14.

While the Trumps have presented a united front during the Republican's time in politics, there have been signs all is not well in their marriage — namely Melania swatting away her husband's hand or refusing to take hold at all, not to mention her infamous fleeting smile at his inauguration in 2016.

In 2018 one of Trump's former employees, Omarosa Manigault Newman, claimed on ITV talk show Lorraine the couple's marriage was over, saying Melania was staying by the president's side reluctantly.

"If Melania were to try to pull the ultimate humiliation and leave while he's in office, he would find a way to punish her," she claimed.

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Mary Jordan, author of The Art of Her Deal: The Untold Story of Melania Trump, said Melania was keen to ensure Barron would be treated equally to Trump's older children from his previous marriages: Donald Jr, 42, Ivanka, 39, Eric, 36, and Tiffany, 27.

"She wanted proof in writing that when it came to financial opportunities and inheritance, Barron would be treated as more of an equal to Trump's oldest three children," the Washington Post reporter wrote in her book.

Trump's first marriage to Ivana ended in a contentious divorce, during which she successfully appealed the terms of their prenuptial agreement. His second wife Marla Maples reportedly received much less than Ivana due to the brevity of their marriage.

Trump's first two wives also had prenups, but both successfully contested them.

After Trump's first marriage broke down, Ivana argued her case and was awarded $10million from the businessman and a further US$650,000 (AUD$901,100) a year of child support. She also got an apartment in New York and a huge Connecticut mansion.

Maples got far less, around US$2million (AUD$2.75 million)

If Donald and Melania Trump were to divorce, she could be the most rewarded of his ex-wives with claims she could receive up to US$50 million (AUD$68 million)

For now, however, Melania remains by her husband's side as he contests the results of the US presidential election.

This week she tweeted support for his claim, saying: "The American people deserve fair elections. Every legal - not illegal - vote should be counted. We must protect our democracy with complete transparency."

It has been reported Melania wasn't keen on Trump's political ambitions and used his desire to become US president as a way to renegotiate their prenuptial agreement.