A year after her divorce, Melinda Gates spoke about her separation from the billionaire in an interview with Forbes.
After 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates had announced their separation in May 2021. “After careful consideration and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage”, was it written on social networks. Microsoft founder’s ex-wife broke silence on divorce in magazine interview Fortunethis Monday, October 3. “I had certain reasons why I just couldn’t stay in this marriage anymore.“she explains. “But the weird thing about COVID is that it gave me the privacy to do what I needed to do.continued the mother of the family before adding, it’s incredibly painfulin countless ways, but I had the privacy to get through it.” A divorce during which she never stopped thinking about his three children, Jennifer, Rory and Phoebeaged 25, 23 and 19 respectively. “My main concern, of course, was trying to protect my children through this.”
Last September, in the columns of Paris MatchBill Gates had confided in the relationship they had with his ex-wife since their divorce. “We are constantly exchanging e-mails in relation to the foundation. Mélinda is a valuable partner to ensure that the money I have invested is spent in the most effective way. I praise the way he works with me, seeing what I don’t see.” The billionaire also seems to have kept good relationship with his children : “I’ve also three wonderful children and a very good relationship with Melinda, despite all the mistakes I may have made. So, I consider myself very lucky that she chose to stay at the foundation!” According to the spokesperson for the computer group, Bill Gates had a sexual relationship with an employee.
Bill and Melinda Gates collaborate together for their foundation
Despite their divorce, the couple had chosen to keep working together for their charity. As a reminder, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation had about $50 billion at its disposal in 2020. But after the announcement of their separation, the foundation declared, through its CEO Mark Suzman, that it was giving a two-year trial period to the couple. “If, after two years, either decides they cannot continue to work together as co-chairs”it would then be expected that Bill Gates retains control of the foundation and buys out his ex-wife’s share.
According to divorce papers, Melinda Gates had the right to retain the Gates name and has already obtained €2.7 billion ($3.3 billion) from the founder of Microsoft. Neither of the two former spouses will receive alimony, since their three children are all over 18 years old. On the other hand, little has filtered through on the sharing of their colossal fortune.