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After a 27-year marriage, Bill and Melinda Gates have officially divorced.
The divorce of the wealthy couple, co-founders of one of the world’s largest private charitable foundations, was finalized on Monday, August 2nd, according to a court document.
The petition for divorce filed by Melinda French Gates to the court on May 3 stated that the couple’s relationship was “irretrievably broken.” The divorce paperwork, which was finalized on Monday, stated that she would not change her name and did not offer spousal support, which French Gates stated was not required in her original filing.
In the divorce, no money, property, or spousal support judgments were issued by the court. It stated that the couple must follow the terms of their separation agreement, which was not filed in King County Superior Court.
Gates, 65, and French Gates, 56, first announced their divorce in a joint statement in May, saying they no longer “believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives.”
“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have decided to end our marriage,” they said in the statement. “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.”
They also agreed to keep running The Gates Foundation together after their divorce. According to its financial statements, the foundation’s assets are worth nearly $50 billion.
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