It’s official: Billionaires Bill Gates and Melinda French are divorced

American business magnate, and co-founder of Microsoft Corporation, Bill Gates and his wife of 27 years, Melinda Gates – now French – are officially divorced. The couple finalised the divorce on Monday 2 August 2021 after announcing that they were filing for one in May this year.

Bill and Melinda are divorced

American mogul Bill Gates and his dedicated philanthropist wife, Melinda Gates are officially divorced. The couple’s divorce was finalised in the King County Superior Court in Seattle on Monday this week. The couple first announced their separation plans in May this year.

According to Timeslive, the couple, who are behind the charity organisation, the Gates Foundation, have also pledged to continue doing philanthropic work together.

Terms of the Gateses divorce

Also according to the publication, the couple were not issued any orders from the court on spousal support or how assets would be divided because the couple had previously discussed this and came to an agreement about what would happen with their combined wealth.

Briefly News also reported that the couple is planning to leave each of their three children, Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18, R140 million.

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Before it came to this

According to The Washington Post, Bill acknowledged through a spokesperson that he had an extramarital affair with a Microsoft employee, which Microsoft said led its board to investigate the “intimate relationship” shortly before he resigned from the board last year.

Many reports wonder whether the investigation or the affair, which took place two decades ago, played a part in the decision for Bill and his wife of 27 years, Melinda to get divorced.

Fox Business also reported that Bill was allowed by his wife to spend time with an ex-girlfriend thanks to a built-in arrangement Bill had with Melinda French prior to the now-former pair exchanging nuptials in Hawaii in 1994.

The arrangement reportedly stated that he and software entrepreneur and venture capitalist Ann Winblad would be able to jet off on annual weekend getaways with each other to pick each other’s brains and bask in the old times they shared while creating new memories of their own.

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