Bill and Melinda Gates announce divorce - 17th May 2021

Bill and Melinda Gates have announced the end of their 27 year marriage, saying "we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple."

In a joint statement on Twitter, the billionaire couple said:

"After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage."

The pair got to know each other at a New York business dinner in 1987, months after Melinda had joined Bill's firm Microsoft as a product manager. The couple soon embarked on a seven year romance, culminating in their wedding on the Hawaiian island of Lanai in 1994. They have since had three children together.

The couple jointly run the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Created in 2000, the foundation has bestowed billions of dollars to public health, education and climate change projects. It has supported numerous causes combating infectious diseases and operating child vaccination programmes. Its grants included $1.75 billion to coronavirus vaccine initiatives and research during the Covid-19 pandemic.

With a net worth $124 billion, Bill Gates is number four on the Forbes rich list. He made his fortune through the company he co-founded in the 1970s, Microsoft, the world's biggest software company.

Last year, Bill stepped down from Microsoft's board in order to throw himself into his philanthropic activities.

The Gates, along with investor Warren Buffet, also set up the Giving Pledge, which calls on billionaires to commit to donating the majority of their wealth to good causes.

While the pair may branch off into separate charity initiatives, analysts say the Gates Foundation will likely remain operational.