Bill Gates, one of the world’s wealthiest individuals, revealed on Monday that he and his wife, Melinda Gates, are divorcing. Jennifer, 25, Phoebe, 18, and Rory, 21, are the couple’s three children after 27 years of marriage.
Gates, 65, has a net worth of $130.5 billion in 2021, according to Forbes. They confirmed their split in a joint statement on Twitter. Melinda Gates, 56, shared the same statement on Instagram without a caption.
According to legal filings, Melinda Gates filed for the divorce from Bill Gates, and the billionaire philanthropist duo did not have a prenuptial arrangement.
Prenuptial agreements are usually held secret, but according to a 1997 New York Times report, the Gates’ did get one before getting married.
However, there is no reference of a prenuptial arrangement in the divorce papers obtained by TMZ on May 3, and Melinda Gates is not seeking spousal support.
Melinda, 56, stated that the marriage was “irretrievably broken” as a reason for the divorce.
The couple has a “separation agreement,” though not a prenup, according to the document, which was filed Monday in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington.
A settlement agreement, which sets down the conditions of the divorce, is normally negotiated before the conclusion of a marriage.
While the contract was not mentioned in the divorce filing, it appears that it will govern how the pair divides their properties.
The divorce documents note that they have a “separation contract pursuant to RCW 26.09.070,” which specifies how the pair will share their properties and possessions, under Section 11 entitled “Written Agreements.”T
They reside in a $127 million home in Medina, Washington.
Bill Gates, 65
According to Forbes, Bill Gates is the world’s fourth wealthiest person, with a net wealth of $130.5 billion.
In 1975, Gates dropped out of Harvard University to co-found Microsoft with his high school friend Paul Allen. When Microsoft went public in 1986, Gates controlled 49 percent of the business, making him a multibillionaire overnight.
With Microsoft’s rapid development, he quickly became the wealthiest person on the planet.
He has since lost the title, owing in part to his philanthropic contributions.
He was also overtaken by other companies’ rise. The three richest people on the Forbes list are Amazon creator Jeff Bezos, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, and Louis Vuitton CEO Bernard Arnault and his family.
Melinda Gates, 56
Bill and Melinda met at Microsoft in 1987, soon after the computer science and economics graduate began working for the company.
According to Forbes, she is the “most powerful woman” of philanthropy.
Pivotal Ventures, an investment and incubation company focusing on women, families, and social change, was created by the MBA holder in 2015.
She has enlisted the help of MacKenzie Scott, an author and philanthropist who was married to Jeff Bezos until 2019 and is launching a $40 million gender equity fund this year.
Gates Foundation
The couple founded the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in Seattle in 2000. With an emphasis on public health, education, and climate change, it is one of the world’s largest humanitarian organizations.
Under the coronavirus pandemic, it gave $1.75 billion to vaccination programs, diagnostics, and science.
