Bill and Melinda Gates announce divorce - 17th May 2021

Bill and Melinda Gates have announced their divorce after 27 years of marriage. "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple," they said.

The pair met in the 1980s after Melinda took a job at Bill's company Microsoft. She started as a product manager in 1987 and later that year, found herself next to Bill at a business dinner in New York. They began dating and decided to get married in 1994. The wedding was on the island of Lanai in Hawaii. They started a family shortly after and have three children.

In 2000, the billionaire couple set up the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, a charity which concentrates on public health, education and climate change. It has given billions of dollars to projects fighting diseases and encouraging vaccinations in children. During the coronavirus pandemic, it has spent $1.75 billion on vaccine projects and research into Covid-19.

Bill Gates is the fourth wealthiest person in the world with a worth of $124 billion. He made his money through Microsoft, which he started in the 1970s.

Last year, Bill gave up his job at Microsoft to commit himself to his charity work.

The Gates are also behind the Giving Pledge, which encourages billionaires to give away most of their money to charity.

The couple will keep up their charitable activities, but they may do so separately. However, the work of the Gates Foundation is unlikely to come to an end.