One of the issues that could have precipitated the divorce is Bill's relationship with the late disgraced tycoon Jeffrey Epstein.
Melinda Gates had been looking for and consulting lawyers for two years to divorce her husband, Bill Gates
The New York newspaper cited "people familiar with the matter" and legal documents consulted by newspaper journalists that suggest that the divorce was something that had been brewing for a long time, with the first contact with lawyers in 2019.
The Gates announced that they were divorcing, after more than 27 years of relationship in which they founded one of the most important charities in the world.
The following day, the US media revealed the content of the documents of the divorce petition, presented by Melinda, in which she assured that the marriage is "irretrievably broken", that "spousal support is not necessary" and that the separation agreement will determine the division of their properties. The Gates have three children, all of whom are of legal age.
According to the Journal, one of the issues that could have precipitated the breakup is the relationship between Bill and the late disgraced tycoon Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in prison precisely in 2019.
Epstein had been arrested after being accused of S- abusing and exploiting dozens of teenage girls both at his mansion in Manhattan (New York) and at his residence in Palm Beach (Florida) and at his property in the Virgin Islands.
According to the American press, Bill Gates had meetings with Epstein on several occasions, and on one of them, he stayed late at his New York mansion.
Through spokespersons, the billionaire has always maintained that in those meetings the two men discussed philanthropic issues and that Gates "regrets each and every one of his meetings (with Epstein) and acknowledges that carrying them out was an error of judgment."
The Journal's version stated that Melinda had already warned her husband that she did not feel comfortable with Epstein in 2013 and despite this, Bill Gates and employees of her foundation continued in contact with the now-deceased tycoon in subsequent years.
