They were married for 27 years, but the end came in May: Melinda and Bill Gates will go their separate ways in the future.
Seattle – Microsoft founder Bill Gates (65) and his wife Melinda (56) have sealed their divorce, which was announced three months ago, according to media information.
A judge in Washington state accepted the agreement on Monday, the broadcaster CNN and other US media reported. Neither of them has to pay maintenance, further details from the divorce contract were not known.
The couple announced in May that they wanted to divorce after 27 years of marriage. “After careful consideration and a lot of work on our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage,” both wrote at the time. However, they want to continue the joint work of the influential Gates Foundation for the time being. This is one of the world’s most important donors in the field of health care and development cooperation. The couple have three children of legal age – Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe.
Bill Gates, who founded the future IT giant Microsoft together with Paul Allen in 1975, is considered one of the richest people in the world. According to Forbes magazine, the 65-year-old’s fortune is said to be more than 130 billion US dollars, which puts him in fourth place on the global list of the super-rich.
Melinda French Gates first studied computer science and economics, later she completed a management degree (MBA), as stated by the foundation. In the first decade of her career, she worked at Microsoft on the development of multimedia products. dpa
