Bill and Melinda Gates recently declared their intention to divorce, a complicated procedure that will include a $130 billion fortune and three children.

Bill and Melinda Gates’ offspring will not inherit their parents’ entire wealth.

Jennifer Katharine Gates (25), Rory John Gates (21), and Phoebe Adele Gates (18) are the couple’s three children, from their marriage of 27 years.

“We have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to live healthy, productive lives,” they said in a statement.

“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.”

The Microsoft tycoon has always said that his children would not inherit much. Is the sum of money heading to Bill’s children going to change now that he and his mom, Melinda Gates, are divorcing?

The three children of Bill and Melinda Gates are unlikely to see any change in their inheritance money.

The host of a 2014 TED Talk suggested that the couple had enough wealth to make all of their children billionaires, but Bill Gates claimed that was not their intention.

“They won’t have anything like that. They need to have a sense that their own work is meaningful and important,” Bill Gates said.

Three years after revealing the transfer of a large portion of his fortune to the Gates Foundation in 2014, the Microsoft co-founder announced that each of his three children will inherit only US$10 million.

At the time, he had reportedly said, “I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favour to them. Warren Buffett was part of an article in Fortune talking about this in 1986 before I met him and it made me think about it and decide he was right.”

The Microsoft co-founder said in a Reddit Ask Me Anything segment in 2017 that his children will receive fewer than 1% of his wealth, which comprises properties in five states, a private plane, an art gallery, and a fleet of luxury vehicles.

In a TED Talk, Bill said, “We want to strike a balance where they have the freedom to do anything but not a lot of money showered on them so they could go out and do nothing.”

So far, very little information regarding Bill and Melinda’s divorce proceedings has been published. The couple had a separation agreement rather than a prenuptial agreement. Since the terms of the separation arrangement haven’t been made public, it’s impossible to say if the split would change how much each child is left. Melinda may now plan to leave some of her money to her children, in addition to the $10 million they would receive from their father.

The Gates’ intentions to donate more of their money rather than hand it on to their offspring, according to Vicky Poumpouridis, a family and matrimonial attorney at Kasowitz Benson Torres LLP, are unlikely to be impacted by the divorce.

However, unless the conditions of what would be offered to the children are clearly set out in their separation agreement or any agreement, Bill and Melinda Gates could change their minds on what they will leave their children at any moment. It’s still unclear if both parents would contribute to each child’s $10 million inheritance or whether it would come from only one parent.

Jennifer Gates, the eldest daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates, recently expressed her feelings towards her parents’ divorce.

She wrote on her Instagram account, “By now, many of you have heard the news that my parents are separating.” “It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family.

“I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and I am grateful for the space to do so,” she continued. “I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me.”

Bill and Melinda Gates’ eldest daughter is now a medical student in New York City after graduating from Standford University with a degree in human biology in 2018. Jennifer is now engaged to Nayel Nassar, a Stanford alum and experienced Egyptian equestrian rider.

Typically, when it comes to offspring, separation agreements do not address inheritance, according to Poumpouridis.

Poumpouridis said she has dealt with a few cases involving high-net-worth clients in which the breakup forces all sides to compromise on what to leave to their children – mostly because they don’t want the other side to have things for his or herself. This can happen with property like a house.