Bill Gates' wife Melinda consulté consulted divorce lawyers TWO YEARS before she asked to end a "irretrievably broken" marriage
BILL Gates' divorce from his wife has been in the works for about two years after she allegedly spoke to lawyers in 2019, it has been revealed.
The business mogul announced last week that he and Melinda would be separating after 27 years of marriage.
But while it was a shocking announcement to many, Melinda actually first consulted with divorce attorneys about two years before filing documents, reports the Wall Street Journal.
Melinda has reportedly worked with companies for months to end her marriage to Microsoft co-founder Bill.
The 56-year-old philanthropist then filed papers in court confirming the marriage was "irretrievably broken."
A former employee of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation told the Journal that Melinda's concerns about the relationship dated back to 2013, and one of her main concerns was about Bill's reported connections to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
It comes after insiders claimed the divorce was "not friendly" and the split was "long in coming".
Melinda reportedly rented a private Caribbean island for $ 132,000 a night for her family earlier this year during billionaire Bill's “acrimonious” split.
She fled to Calivigny Island in Grenada with her three children to escape media attention, sources told TMZ.
The split was called "hostile" as Melinda headed for the island as lawyers frantically tried to finalize a settlement.
All family members except Bill were reportedly invited to the 80-acre Caribbean hideaway.
Insiders say Bill was not invited because "there was a considerable amount of acrimony associated with the split."
The couple announced their separation on Twitter last week, saying the marriage was "irretrievably broken."
However, the couple will continue their charitable work at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
“We continue to share our belief in this mission and we will continue our work at the foundation, but we no longer believe that we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives,” Bill said.
“We ask for space and privacy for our family as we begin to navigate this new life. "
Melinda tweeted an identical statement on her Twitter account.
The couple's daughter, Jennifer, commented on the divorce in an Instagram story shortly after her parents were made public.
The eldest daughter said, “I am still learning how to best support my own process and emotions as well as my family members at this time and I am grateful for the space to do so.
“I will no longer personally comment on anything around the separation, but please know that your kind words and support are important to me. "
Tech mogul Bill Gates offered $ 1.8 billion in stock after the couple decided to leave him.
One of Gates' holding companies, Cascade Investment, which holds positions in various industries such as energy and hospitality, has transferred nearly $ 2 billion in securities to Melinda, Bloomberg Wealth reported.
Bill expressed how "a lot of thought and a lot of work" went into saving their marriage, and after his wife admitted that married life was "really tough."
Melinda joined Microsoft in 1987 and met Bill at a business dinner in New York.
After a year of dating, it was reported that Bill needed to make a list of the pros and cons of getting married.
