Together, they built a family, a billion-dollar fortune, and one of the world’s biggest charities. But when Bill and Melinda Gates ended their 27-year marriage, one detail in their divorce agreement caught people’s attention 😳
Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire, and Melinda French first met in 1987, when she joined his company. Their relationship began as a friendship, but it soon developed into something more.
Bill even admitted that he made a list of pros and cons before deciding whether to marry her. In 1994, the couple tied the knot on the Hawaiian island of Lanai.
Over the years, they built a family together and welcomed three children: Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe. They also became one of the world’s best-known philanthropic couples, launching the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation in 2000 🙏🏼
But behind their public image, their relationship faced challenges. In fact, Melinda later revealed that they had even spent time living separately while trying to work out whether they could save their marriage.
On May 3, 2021, they announced that they were divorcing after 27 years together.
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage,” they said in a joint statement.
The divorce filing also revealed an interesting detail: the couple had signed a separation agreement, but did not have a prenuptial agreement. The contract would set out how their property, assets and debts would be divided, although the exact terms were not made public.
Their divorce was finalized in August 2021. Neither was ordered to pay spousal support.
Despite the end of their marriage, they initially said they intended to continue working together at their foundation. Melinda later stepped down from the organization in 2024.
For a couple who had spent decades building a family and a charitable empire together, the separation marked the end of a very public chapter. However, it’s not the end of their shared role as parents to their three children ❤️
