Bill and Melinda Gates are now officially divorced.
Three months after they announced the breakup of their marriage, after 27 years together, the founder of Microsoft and his ex-wife have signed the divorce agreement in the state of Washington, where they live, according to The Seattle newspaper.
The Gates have entered into a separation agreement to divide their fortune, estimated at $150 billion (€126 billion), according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index. The details have not emerged, although it is assumed that they will divide the estate in two.
It has been learned that none of them will pay a pension to the other since their three children are of legal age, and they will not change their surnames either. In addition, the two will continue to share the management of their charitable foundation, a giant with a net worth of more than $40 billion.
In presenting the agreement last Monday, the judge described the plan to divide the property as "fair and equitable," the Seattle newspaper adds.
The announcement of the separation, in May, of one of the most famous, richest and most influential couples in the world was a bombshell. They announced it with a joint statement that they spread on social networks and speculation immediately began about the reasons that had led them to break up.
According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the causes of the divorce is the relationship between the founder of Microsoft and the s-x offender Jeffrey Epstein, who committed suicide in 2019. Another publication, The Daily Beast, claimed that Epstein and Gates saw each other dozens of times. times between 2011 and 2014 and that Gates sought refuge in Epstein and made him his confidant.
Three months after Epstein's death, her relationship with Gates was published, which was such a public humiliation for Melinda that she decided to look for a lawyer to prepare for her divorce. Several extramarital affairs of the tycoon also came to light.
