Senior judges will weigh in on the enforceability of prenuptial agreements for the first time in nearly 80 years on Wednesday in a case that will be closely watched by celebrities and wealthy businesspeople trying to protect their cash against a marital split.

Rob MacLeod, a 64-year-old businessman who made a multi-million-pound fortune in the cable television business, will ask a court to validate the “prenup” he and his wife signed when they were married in Florida in 1994 and which they subsequently amended on two separate occasions. Because the MacLeods live on the Isle of Man, the case will be heard by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, the highest appeals court for UK overseas territories.