Melinda Gates described her marriage to Bill Gates as ‘irretrievably broken’ in a divorce petition which revealed she and the Microsoft founder, who is the fourth richest man in the world with a fortune of about $130billion, did not sign a prenuptial agreement.

Bill, 64, and Melinda, 56, announced their split after 27 years of marriage via Twitter on Monday.

Court documents obtained by DailyMail.com showed the couple do not have a prenuptial agreement to help them navigate dividing their wealth – which includes properties in five states, a private jet, an astonishing art collection and a fleet of luxury cars. The documents, which were filed by Melinda, came to light after the couple’s eldest daughter revealed their family has been going through…

…a ‘challenging stretch of time’.

Jennifer Gates, 25, spoke out about the divorce announcement on Instagram on Monday afternoon, writing: ‘I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as my family members at this time and am grateful for the space to do so.’ Jennifer is the oldest of Bill and Melinda’s three children, followed by 21-year-old son Rory and 18-year-old daughter Phoebe.

Bill and Melinda both posted the same joint statement about their divorce on Twitter, which read: ‘After a great deal of thought and a lot of work, we have made the decision to end our marriage. The couple have three kids; Jennifer, 25, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18. 

Melinda Gates, 56, files for divorce from Bill, 65, claiming marriage is ‘irretrievably broken’, court docs reveal and there is NO prenup: Daughter Jennifer says $130B split is ‘challenging time’ for family

  • Bill Gates, 65, announced on Twitter on Monday that he and his 56-year-old wife Melinda are divorcing
  • Melinda described her marriage as ‘irretrievably broken’ in a divorce petition viewed by DailyMail.com
  • The petition revealed the couple did not sign a prenuptial agreement when they wed in 1994 
  • Since then they amassed a combined net worth of $130billion and raised three children together
  • Their eldest daughter Jennifer, 25, responded to the news on Instagram and revealed the family has been going through a ‘challenging stretch of time’ 
  • ‘I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as my family members at this time and am grateful for the space to do so,’ Jennifer wrote  
  • Gates founded Microsoft in 1975 and made his first billion dollars in 1987 at the age of 31 
  • He met Melinda in New York that same year and deliberated whether or not they should get married
  • She has told in the past how he struggles separating work from family

Source: https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

Image: The Seattle Times

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