$127bn divorce: Bill and Melinda Gates to split after 27 years of marriage as they can ‘no longer grow together’

Melinda and Bill Gates met in 1987, when he was already a billionaire, and married in 1994. Photo: Chris Radburn/PA Wire

Josie Ensor
© Telegraph Media Group Limited

Bill and Melinda Gates, one of the world’s most powerful couples, announced yesterday they are divorcing after nearly 30 years of marriage, saying they could no longer “grow together”.

Mr Gates, the 65-year-old founder of Microsoft and one of the world’s wealthiest men, posted a statement on Twitter revealing that he and wife made the decision after a “great deal of thought and work” and that they were entering the “next phase” of their lives.