Details about the divorce of Bill and Melinda Gates are being leaked, and to be honest, they're starting to get a little juicy. TMZ recently reported that there is "a considerable amount of acrimony" between both parties.
Melinda Gates reportedly believed the divorce would be announced back in March 2021, and as such decided to rent out the entirety of Calivigny Island so that she could stay there with her children and their significant others to weather the media storm.
TMZ also writes, "First, we’re told this was not a friendly split. We’re told Melinda and most of the family were furious at Bill for various things they claim he had done."
Multiple outlets have also reported that the divorce has been planned for quite some time. Melinda Gates told lawyers the marriage was "irretrievably broken" in 2019, following reports that Bill Gates had a friendship with Jeffrey Epstein.
A family friend told People that the timing of the divorce was meant to sync up with their youngest child's own life. "It's absolutely because their youngest child is graduating from high school, and the idea was that they stayed together through that. They limped through until their kids were out of school like a lot of people."
And while there's a lot of speculation out there, the Gates family will reportedly stay tight-lipped. "Nobody is going to want to invite more scrutiny because it'll hurt their credibility. I don't think they're so angry that anybody wants to take each other down, like you sometimes see. [Melinda is] not incentivized for that."
The pair's mutual foundation is also a reason why they will attempt to keep things as peaceful as possible — they both reportedly have their eyes (literally) on the prize.
"They were really interested in trying to win a Nobel Prize. So one thing that was part of this is, if it gets worse, then it ends that. It seems as if that was on the agenda, and that's for both of them."
While it hasn't been reported where Melinda Gates is at this time, Bill Gates has been living at an uber-posh golf club in California for the last three months. The club is called The Vintage Club, and it describes itself as "one of the United States’ most prestigious and ultra-exclusive private country club communities."
Bill and Melinda Gates did not sign a prenup, but she has declined spousal support in the pair's divorce documents. It's also been revealed that they've had a separation agreement in place for some time, which will limit the amount of time it takes for their divorce to be official.
People reported that Melinda Gates has also filed "an automatic temporary order setting financial restraints" along with the documents. The move puts a pause on either party's ability to change insurance policies or to sell homes or other property that they own.
