Bill & Melinda Gates’ Marriage In Photos: Relive Their Time Together Over 27 Years

By:
May 3, 2021 6:25PM EDT

After 27 years of marriage, Bill Gates and Melinda Gates called it quits. See photos of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation founders in happier times.

1 of 15

Bill Gates & Melinda Gates

Bill Gates & Melinda Gates
Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates married in 1994 after seven years of dating. In 2000, they founded the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation, which seeks to benefit education, health, and more across the globe. The two have become leaders in their respective fields, and Melinda has been a voice to encourage more women and girls to pursue careers in tech, while also advocating for equitable treatment of women in the workplace.

Bill and Melinda share three children: Jennifer (born 1996), Rory (born 1999), and Phoebe (born 2002). After 27 years of marriage, Bill and Melinda announced that they “made the decision” to go their separate ways on May 3, 2021.

Bill and Melinda are pictured above posing for a photo in Kirkland, Wash. From their perch as the “unofficial deans” of big-ticket philanthropy, it was business as usual for the Gates amid questions about whether altruism by the wealthy is a force for good. At the time the photo was snapped, the couple was speaking out as their annual letter was reviewing the couple’s work and vision in 2018. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation is involved in a number of philanthropic focus areas, including global health and development and U.S. education and poverty. 

Check out the rest of the gallery below to see more images of the couple leading up to their divorce announcement.     

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
2 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates At A 2019 Interview

Bill & Melinda Gates At A 2019 Interview
Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates are interviewed in Kirkland, Wash on Jan. 31, 2019. The couple, whose foundation has the largest endowment in the world, are pushing back against a new wave of criticism about whether billionaire philanthropy is a force for good. They said they’re not fazed by recent blowback against wealthy giving, including viral moments at the World Economic Forum and the shifting political conversation about taxes and socialism. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
3 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates At The 2018 GoalKeepers event

Bill & Melinda Gates At The 2018 GoalKeepers event
Lemouton/Pool/SIPA/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates are pictured seated by one another at the GoalKeepers event in New York on Sept. 26, 2018. The pair discussed varying topics in health, education and tech.

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
4 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates With President Barack Obama

Bill & Melinda Gates With President Barack Obama
AP/Shutterstock

Former President Barack Obama, left, speaks with Bill Gates, right, and his wife Melinda Gates, during a conversation at the Goalkeepers Conference hosted by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in New York on Sept. 20, 2017. They discussed a range of topics including health, education, and technology. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
5 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates At The Elysee Palace With Their French Legion of Honor Medals

Bill & Melinda Gates At The Elysee Palace With Their French Legion of Honor Medals
Julien De Rosa/EPA/Shutterstock

Microsoft Co-founder and philanthropist Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates, who are co-chairs of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, leave the Elysee Palace after receiving the French Legion of Honor medal in Paris, France on April 21, 2017. The pair posed for a photo before departing. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
6 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Attend A Media & Technology Conference

Bill & Melinda Gates Attend A Media & Technology Conference
Andrew Gombert/EPA/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates make their way to the Allen and Company 33rd Annual Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho on July 10, 2015. Leading figures in media, technology, sports and politics worldwide gathered for the conference.

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
7 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Walking

Bill & Melinda Gates Walking
Andrew Gombert/EPA/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates are seen walking at the Allen and Company 32nd Annual Media and Technology Conference in Sun Valley, Idaho on July 10, 2014. Melinda wore bright pink for the media finance conference, while Bill wore a plum colored sweater with beige slacks. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
8 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Visit The Prime Minister

Bill & Melinda Gates Visit The Prime Minister
Alan Davidson/Shutterstock

Bill Gates and his wife, Melinda, pose for a photo on London’s iconic 10 Downing Street on Oct. 18, 2018. At the time, they had just met with the U.K.’s former Prime Minister, David Cameron. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
9 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates At The 2008 Olympics

Bill & Melinda Gates At The 2008 Olympics
Kay Nietfeld/EPA/Shutterstock

Bill Gates and his wife Melinda watch the Finals at the 2008 Olympics, which was being held in the National Aquatics Center in Beijing, China on Aug. 10, 2008. They were cheering on the American team. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
10 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Open The 16th International Aids Conference

Bill & Melinda Gates Open The 16th International Aids Conference
Warren Toda/EPA/Shutterstock

Bill & Melinda Gates deliver a keynote speech to open the 16th International Aids Conference at the Rogers Centre in Toronto, Canada on August 13, 2006. At the time, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation made a $500 million to the United Nations Global Fund, which was fighting aids, tuberculosis and malaria. 

May 8, 2020, 8:59AM
11 of 15

Melinda & Bill Gates Talk With Malaria Scientists & Policy Makers

Melinda & Bill Gates Talk With Malaria Scientists & Policy Makers
Elaine Thompson/AP/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates speak at a forum in Seattle in 2006, which was attended by 300 malaria scientists and policy makers. Bill and Melinda had a goal of obliterating the disease worldwide.

May 3, 2021, 5:06PM
12 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates At A Press Conference In 2006

Bill & Melinda Gates At A Press Conference In 2006
Seth Wenig/AP/Shutterstock

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates answer questions amid a press conference on June 26, 2006 in New York. At the time, Warren Buffett (the chairman of Berkshire Hathaway) announced that he wanted to give 10 million shares of his company to charitable organizations, with most of those shares going towards the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

May 3, 2021, 5:06PM
13 of 15

Melinda & Bill Gates Attend A Media Conference

Melinda & Bill Gates Attend A Media Conference
Douglas C Pizac/AP/Shutterstock

Microsoft’s Bill and Melinda Gates are pictured in preppy attire as they stroll to the annual Allen & Co. media conference in Sun Valley, Idaho. Bill capped off the event by leading a talk called, ‘Software Magic: Big Changes Ahead When Least Expected.’

May 3, 2021, 5:06PM
14 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Visit UW’s New Law School Facility

Bill & Melinda Gates Visit UW’s New Law School Facility
Andy Rogers/AP/Shutterstock

Bill and Melinda Gates put on their construction hard hats for the groundbreaking of the University of Washington’s new law school facility, William H. Gates Hall. Bill and Melinda’s charity foundation had donated $12 million for this building. 

May 3, 2021, 5:06PM
15 of 15

Bill & Melinda Gates Announce A Children’s Vaccine Program

Bill & Melinda Gates Announce A Children’s Vaccine Program
Ed Bailey/AP/Shutterstock

Bill Gates, left, and his wife Melinda hold a news conference at New York’s Waldorf Astoria hotel to announce the creation of the Bill and Melinda Gates Children’s Vaccine Program. The goal of the $100 million program is to significantly reduce the time it takes for vaccines to reach children in developing nations.

May 3, 2021, 5:06PM