Jennifer Gates, the eldest daughter of Bill and Melinda Gates, has opened up about her parents’ divorce.
In a statement shared on her Instagram Story on Monday, Jennifer, 25, addressed her “friends.”
“By now, many of you have heard the news that my parents are separating. It has been a difficult time for our whole family,” Jennifer’s statement begins.
“I’m still learning to better support my own process and emotions and my family members right now, and I’m grateful for the space to do so. I will no longer personally comment on anything regarding the separation, but please know that your kind words and support represent the world to me, ”she continued.
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Jennifer also thanked readers for “catching” her family’s desire for privacy at this time.
Bill Gates and his daughter Jennifer Gates, left, attend the Global Champions Tour of Monaco at Port de Hercule on June 30, 2018 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco.
(fotopress / Getty Images)
Additionally, Bill and Melinda’s daughter shared the same joint statement they released earlier today, confirming their separation after 27 years of marriage.
The former couple said their decision to divorce came after “a lot of thought and a lot of work on our relationship.”
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“Over the past 27 years, we have raised three amazing children and built a foundation that works around the world to enable everyone to lead healthy and productive lives,” the former couple read in a tweet.
“We continue to share our conviction in this mission and we will continue our work together at the foundation,” he adds.
Gates and Melinda have a rich history together and began their decades-long relationship in 1987 after they crossed paths over dinner at a trade convention in New York City when Melinda was hired as a product manager at Microsoft. .
“There were two open chairs … I sat down. The next chair was empty. Ten minutes later Bill came in and sat down next to me,” recalls Melinda in a 2019 interview at ‘an episode of “The David Rubenstein Show: Peer – Conversations with Peers.”
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In the 2019 Netflix documentary series, “Inside Bill’s Brain,” Melinda recalled that the centibillionaire listed his pros and cons of marriage on a whiteboard.
In a joint statement released on Monday, Bill and Melinda Gates announced they were going to divorce.
(Leigh Vogel / WireImage)
“He had to make a decision,” she laughed. She added that Gates “wanted to get married, but he wasn’t sure if he could actually commit to it and [run] Microsoft. “
“Much to our surprise, certainly my surprise, we said, ‘Hey, I love you.’ And she said she loved me and then it was like, ‘Wow, and now what’s going to happen?’ He said, adding, “You know, we care about each other a lot and there were only two possibilities: either we were going to break up or we were going to get married.”
The exes now got married on January 1, 1994 in Hawaii.
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Throughout their 27 years as husband and wife, the Gates would welcome three children: Jennifer, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18, and would also launch their Bill and Melinda Gates philanthropic foundation in 2000.
The pair currently share a net worth of over $ 130 billion, although it is unclear how their break-up of assets will be handled or whether the tech honcho will take a Jeff Bezos approach to his divorce and employ. a quick close with a big check to Melinda. .
Julius Young of Fox News contributed to this report.
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