Bill and Melinda Gates divorce: Microsoft founder and wife break-up
Bill and Melinda Gates are preparing to split their $130 billion fortune, as it’s revealed they do not have a prenup. Read the divorce papers.
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In one of the world’s biggest divorce settlements to come, new documents have revealed Bill and Melinda Gates do not have a prenuptial agreement.
During their near three decade marriage, the wealthy high profile couple amassed an estimated $US130 billion fortune.
The papers show Melinda did not ask for spousal support and has asked for a trial date in April 2022.
They also cite the request for divorce, saying their marriage is “Irretrievably broken”.
However the former couple refer to a separation contract, which includes financial information relating to two of the couple’s three children.
Their assets include properties in five states with a standout their $US127 million mansion in Medina, Washington, overlooking Lake Washington.
Dubbed “Xanadu 2.0”, the Pacific Lodge-style design includes seven bedrooms, a private library and a dome-shaped roof, with a swimming pool, private gym and a huge dining room.
Mr Gates bought the land on which it was built in 1988 for $US2 million.
The home includes tech-inspired features such as sensors, temperature and custom lighting, and speakers behind the walls which allow music to “follow” guests throughout the home.
They also own a $US59 million ($A76 million) ranch in Florida and a Wyoming ranch worth $US9 million ($A11.6 million) consisting of five bedrooms, three bathrooms, a guesthouse, caretaker’s house, dairy cabin, stable and a hut located in the middle of a lake.
The pair own a private jet and car lover Bill owns a Porsche 930 Turbo, a Jaguar XJ6, a Ferrari 348 and a rare Porsche 959, which was held up for 13 years by US customs. Most recently, he purchased an electric car, the Porsche Taycan.
An art collection that includes the Da Vinci Codex worth $30 million is also up for grabs.
‘CHALLENGING TIME’: ELDEST DAUGHTER BREAKS SILENCE
Their eldest daughter has revealed their family is going through a “challenging stretch of time” after her parents announced they were calling it quits after 27 years of marriage.
Jennifer Gates, 25, an elite equestrian and medical student, took to Instagram today to comment on her parents shock announcement.
“It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family,” she says in the post.
“I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as my family members at this time and am grateful for the space to do so.”
The announcement from one of the world’s wealthiest couples was made in a joint statement on Twitter today.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship we have made the decision to end our marriage,” the statement said.
“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable people to lead healthy, productive lives.”
“We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple,’ the statement said, asking that their privacy be respected.
They share three adult children together: Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18.
The statement said they would also continue their joint work on the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the massive charity which funds programs in global health, gender equality, education and other causes.
RELATIONSHIP HISTORY
Bill, 65, and Melinda, 56, started dating in 1987 after meeting at a trade show in New York.
She went on to work in marketing for Microsoft before being appointed General Manager of Information Products in the 1990s.
They married in 1994 when Microsoft had already become the world’s most valuable company.
Melinda has previously said Bill’s long work hours made their marriage “incredibly hard”.
“Believe me, I can remember some days that were so incredibly hard in our marriage where you thought, ‘Can I do this?’” she told the Sunday Times in 2019.
In the Netflix series Inside Bill’s Brain, they admit they considered breaking up while they were dating because of his work.
“You know, we cared a lot for each other and there were only two possibilities: either, we were going to break up or we were going to get married,” Bill said.
Mr Gates made a list of the pros and the cons before deciding on a union.
“I took the idea of marriage very seriously,” he said.
Melinda added: “(He) wanted to be married, but he didn’t know whether he could actually commit to it and (run) Microsoft.”
THEIR CHILDREN
Their eldest daughter, Jennifer, is an elite equestrian and attends medical school in New York.
She got engaged to Nayel Nassar, a professional Egyptian equestrian, in January 2020.
In an interview with Sidelines magazine she described her upbringing as a “huge situation of privilege”.
“I think it’s about using those opportunities and learning from them to find things that I’m passionate about and hopefully make the world a little bit of a better place,” Jennifer Gates said.
Their middle child, son Rory, is believed to be studying law.
His mother described him as “compassionate and curious” in an essay for Time magazine on his 18th birthday.
“He’s intelligent and well-read and deeply informed about the wide range of issues that interest him. He’s a great son and a great brother. He’s inherited his parents’ obsessive love of puzzles. But one of the things that makes me proudest is that Rory is a feminist,” Melinda said.
Their youngest child, Phoebe, studied at The School of American Ballet and the prestigious Juilliard School.
BILL & MELINDA GATES FOUNDATION
Founded in 2000, the foundation is described as a “non-profit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity around the world”.
Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation employs more than 1600 staff and is said to be worth $US49.8 billion.
The joint organisation was previously known as the William H. Gates Foundation.
The pair made a huge philanthropic contribution to various causes, including bankrolling $US250 million to fight the COVID pandemic.
Some of the funds channelled to the distribution of lifesaving doses of COVID-19 vaccines to parts of Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia.
In 2019, the foundation handed out 1869 grants worth $US5.1 billion.
It is among the world’s richest, having provided more than $US54 billion in grants over two decades in areas including malaria and infectious disease control, agricultural research, basic health care and sanitation, in various parts of the world.
The foundation has an endowment of more than $US46 billion.
In 2010, Mr Gates vowed to give at least half of his wealth to charity in a joint initiative with American business tycoon Warren Buffett.
More than 170 of the world’s wealthiest people including Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg got behind the Giving Pledge initiative.
“(It’s) about building on a wonderful tradition of philanthropy that will ultimately help the world become a much better place,” Mr Gates said.
MICROSOFT FORTUNE
Bill Gates co-founded Microsoft in 1975 with Paul Allen.
Mr Gates became the world’s youngest billionaire in 1987, at the age of 31.
He stepped down as Microsoft chief executive in 2008 to devote more time to philanthropy and later left the board, keeping the title of “founder and technology advisor”.
In recent years, Mr Gates has largely distanced himself from Microsoft and the tech industry, instead speaking about poverty and health initiatives, and the coronavirus pandemic.
Mr Gates, who had been warning as early as 2015 about the potential dangers of a global pandemic, became the target of conspiracy theorists who claimed he knew in advance about COVID-19.
In March, Mr Gates spoke about conspiracy theories around COVID-19 vaccines and 5G in an “Ask Me Anything” on Reddit.
“Vaccines are important and it is too bad they are so controversial,” Mr Gates said.
“I don’t know why people think I want to track other people — it is unfortunate if this makes people not wear masks or consider getting the vaccine.
“The whole thing about 5G and microchips is pretty crazy. Why would I want to do that? I do believe in vaccines which have performed miracles.
“Some false information is more interesting than the truth so digital channels seem to magnify echo chambers with bad facts. I haven’t seen as much creativity on how we solve this as we need,” he said.
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