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Bill Gates opened up about his divorce from his wife Melinda in a new interview with London’s Sunday Times, published on Sunday, May 1. The 66-year-old Microsoft founder revealed that even though he felt that the divorce was sad, he still “wouldn’t have changed [the marriage]” in the new interview, and he didn’t seem to have any regrets about their time together.
Bill admitted that his marriage to Melinda, 57, went through changes after their kids moved out, but he seemed like he had no regrets. “From my point of view it was a great marriage. I wouldn’t have changed it. You know, I wouldn’t choose to marry someone else,” he said in the interview, per Us Weekly. “I’m talking about would I marry Melinda all over again. In terms of my future, I don’t have any plans, but I highly recommend marriage.”
The tech entrepreneur revealed that the terms of the divorce were more about determining how much money they’d each have for philanthropic efforts. “We’re very lucky people. I feel sorry for when people have super limited resources under any circumstance. And that’s not our situation. We can be reasonably generous to the kids, but the vast majority of the money will go to philanthropy,” he said.
Bill and Linda were married from 1994 until May 2021, during that time they had three children: Jennifer, 26, Rory, 22, and Phoebe, 18. Even though the pair announced that they’d be breaking up, they said that the charitable endeavors would still be a joint effort. “We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the [Gates] foundation, but we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in the next phase of our lives,” the pair said.
Melinda had opened up about where the exes stand in a March interview with CBS This Morning. “We certainly have a working relationship,” she said. “I would say we’re friendly at this point. Friends is a different word for me. That might come over time, but there’s still healing that needs to happen. I certainly wish him well. I don’t wish him harm. And I think we have a productive working relationship and I think that will continue.”
Bill said that even though his ex was hesitant to use the word “friends,” he would “use it” to describe their relationship. “We have a, you know, super important, complex, close relationship where we’ve chosen to work together. And I’m very happy that we get to work together,” he said.