Bill and Melinda Gates file for divorce, ending 27 years of marriage
- Couple say their marriage is ‘irretrievably broken’ in joint petition to court
- They reached an agreement on a division of assets but did not disclose details
Billionaire benefactors Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, filed for divorce on Monday after 27 years of marriage, saying they had reached an agreement on how to divide their assets.
At stake is one of the world’s greatest fortunes - currently valued a US$145.8 billion, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index - and one of the largest philanthropy operations on the planet.
In a joint petition for dissolution of marriage filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, the couple stated: “The marriage is irretrievably broken”.
But the foundation said Bill Gates, 65, who co-founded Microsoft Corp and is the world’s fourth-richest person, and Melinda Gates would continue to work together in their existing roles as co-chairs and trustees of the organisation.
The divorce filing, which states that the couple have no minor children, comes after the youngest of their three children is believed to have recently turned 18. The spouses asked the court to approve their agreement on division of assets but did not disclose details.