Melinda Gates, a philanthropist and campaigner for female empowerment, could be about to become the world’s second-richest woman, with a fortune estimated at $73bn.
In her divorce petition filed on Monday at King County superior court in Seattle, Washington, Melinda Gates stated that her marriage to multibillionaire Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, one of the richest men on the planet, had “irretrievably broken” and called on the courts to divide up the couple’s combined $146bn (£105bn) fortune
The 50-50 split is likely because the divorce petition filing also reveals that the couple – who married in 1994 after first hitting it off playing Cluedo (she won) – did not sign a prenuptial agreement, and under Washington state law divorcing couples are expected to share their assets equally.
If that goes ahead, Melinda French Gates – who has recently introduced her maiden name French into her social media profiles – will rank behind only Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, the 67-year-old L’Oreal owner, whose inherited fortune is now worth about $83bn.
According to the Bloomberg billionaires index, Bill Gates is currently ranked as the world’s fourth-richest person, with wealth totalling about $146bn. However, he would be far richer – and perhaps still the world’s richest person – if he had not already given away at least $40bn to the couple’s charity, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
The divorce also throws into question the future of the couples’ philanthropic efforts via the foundation, which also pulls in cash from other donors, ranging from fellow billionaire Warren Buffett to the UK government. While the couple have said they will remain co-chairs of the foundation some experts suggest the divorcing pair may have different and strongly held views about the future direction of the charity.
It is a vast foundation, employing 1,600 staff based in Seattle, which has given away $50bn to projects across 135 countries since it was founded in 2000 and still has $43bn worth of assets.
It focuses on projects to improve global healthcare, education and gender equality with big ambitions – bidding to eradicate some diseases, such as polio, completely. It also provides support in the event of natural disasters. Last year, the foundation provided $1.8bn for emergency coronavirus medical supplies, PPE and vaccines. A further $2bn has been earmarked to try and wipe out malaria within a generation and $1.6bn to help students of colour in the US.
Rob Reich, a professor of political science at Stanford University, said: “Since the Gates foundation is a family foundation and the Gateses are breaking apart their family, the divorce may have huge repercussions for the foundation and for its work across the globe.”
The couple’s…
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