Following the shocking news of Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce, their oldest child, Jennifer Gates, has bared her mind on the issue.
Recall that the philanthropists who have been married for 27 years late Monday announced in a joint statement, that they were getting a divorce.
Read Also: Breaking: Bill And Melinda Gates Announce Divorce After 27 Years Of Marriage
Their joint statement reads:
After a great deal of thought and a lot of work, we have made the decision to end our marriage. Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives. We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue to work together at the foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives. We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life.
The eldest daughter of the former couple shared a message with her Instagram followers on Monday, shortly after her parents announced the end of their marriage.
She wrote;
By now, many of you have heard the news that my parents are separating. It’s been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family.
Jennifer, who is the oldest child of the Gates, discussed the pain of watching her parents’ split, saying;
I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as family members at this time, and I am grateful for the space to do so. I won’t personally comment further on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support mean the world to me.
She went on to thank her friends and followers for “understanding our desire for privacy while we navigate the next phases of our lives.”
Jennifer is the eldest of the Gates’ three children. Her brother, Rory, is 22 and her sister, Phoebe, is 19.
Jennifer, a Stanford graduate, took a year off to focus on her equestrian (horse riding) career before attending Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine in New York.
She is engaged to Egyptian equestrian, Nayel Nassar.
After posting the heartbreaking message about her family, Jennifer reposted the statement about the divorce that her mom had posted to Instagram.
Her parents have been together since 1994, having together founded the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which states its aims as ‘improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty in developing countries‘.
The foundation has also invested billions of dollars in fighting infectious diseases and getting vaccines to children in need.
They met in the late 1980s after Melinda joined Bill’s Microsoft firm, going on to have three children.
According to court documents, Bill and Melinda have a separation contract and are asking for the court to divide their debts and liabilities, real property and personal property as set forth in the separation contract.
Melinda filed for the divorce and in the court document she said;
This marriage is irretrievably broken. We ask the court to dissolve our marriage and find that our marital community ended on the date stated in our separation contract.
Melinda does not appear to be asking for any spousal support from the Microsoft co-founder, whose said to be worth about $124billion. Their court date is set for April 4, 2022.
