Washington state’s King County has dissolved the 26-year old marriage of Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and novelist MacKenzie Bezos to the tune of a $38-billion settlement.

Under the agreement, MacKenzie Bezos, 49, will receive approximately 19.7 million Amazon.com shares, giving her a four per cent stake in the company valued at $38.3 billion, and landing her at 22nd on the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, the news service said.

MacKenzie Bezos says she would donate half her fortune to charity.

Jeff Bezos, 55, will retain a 12 per cent stake and remain the world’s richest man.