An Italian couple are to become the world's oldest divorcees, after the 99-year-old husband found that his 96-year-old wife had an affair in the 1940s.

The Italian man, identified by lawyers in the case only as Antonio C, was rifling through an old chest of drawers when he made the discovery a few days before Christmas.

Notwithstanding the time that had elapsed since the betrayal, he was so upset that he immediately confronted his wife of 77 years, named as Rosa C, and demanded a divorce.

Guilt-stricken, she reportedly confessed everything but was unable to persuade her husband to reconsider his decision.

She wrote the letters to her lover during a secret affair in the 1940s, according to court papers released in Rome this week.

The couple are now preparing to split, despite the ties they forged over nearly eight decades – they have five children, a dozen grandchildren and one great-grand child.

The discovery of the letters was the final straw for a marriage which had already run into difficulty – 10 years ago the husband briefly left their house in Rome and moved in with one of his sons, only to return a few weeks later.

The Italian press attributed the  

The couple met during the 1930s when Antonio was posted as a young Carabinieri officer to Naples.

The case appears to set a new record, at least for the age of the oldest protagonist – the previous oldest couple to divorce were Bertie and Jessie Wood, both aged 98, from the UK.

The pair ended their 36-year marriage in 2009 when they were both two years away from their 100th birthdays.

They got married in Elstree, Hertfordshire, in 1972, having both ended previous marriages, before moving to Falmouth, Cornwall four years later.

意大利一對夫婦將成為世界上最高齡的離婚者。99歲的丈夫日前發現自己96歲的妻子在上世紀40年代有過一段婚外情。

律師稱這名意大利男子為安東尼奧•C。他在圣誕節前幾天翻一個舊衣柜時，發現了妻子多年前的婚外情。

盡管這段婚外情發生距今已有幾十年，但安東尼奧仍然非常難過，立刻找來結婚77年的妻子羅莎•C對證，要求離婚。

據報道，妻子為此心存愧疚，坦白了一切，但沒能說服丈夫回心轉意。

法庭于本周在羅馬公布的法庭文件稱，羅莎在20世紀40年代有一段秘密的婚外情，她給情人寫了這些信件。

這對夫婦目前準備離婚，盡管他們已經結婚近80年之久。他們有5名子女、12名孫輩，還有一名曾孫。

發現這些情書是壓倒這段婚姻的最后一根稻草。此前，兩人的婚姻已經遇到麻煩，10年前，丈夫曾暫時離開兩人位于羅馬的住宅，搬走和一個兒子同住，但在幾周后返回。

意大利媒體將兩人間決絕的離異歸因于兩人的南部血統，丈夫來自撒丁島的奧比亞，而妻子出生在那不勒斯。

兩人于20世紀30年代相識，安東尼奧當時是那不勒斯一位年輕的憲兵軍官。

兩人的離婚創下了紀錄，最起碼成為了年齡最大的離婚者。之前年齡最大的離婚者是英國一對98歲的夫婦伯蒂和杰西•伍德。

伯蒂和杰西•伍德在2009年結束了長達36年的婚姻，當時他們兩人都年屆98歲高齡。

兩人于1972年在赫特福德郡的埃爾斯特里結婚，之前都有過婚史。四年后，兩人搬到康沃爾的法爾茅斯生活。