Divorce enriches Bill Gates' wife, will she become the richest woman in the world?

After her controversial divorce, Bill's wife returns Gates To the fore again, not as a philanthropist and activist for women's empowerment, but as the second richest woman in the world with a fortune estimated at $73 billion.

Documents submitted by Melinda to the King County Supreme Court in Seattle, Washington, on Monday, showed her request to divide the $146 billion fortune equally with her ex-husband Bill Gates, according to the Guardian newspaper.

If that were to happen, Melinda, under the laws of Washington state, in the absence of any prior agreement between the spouses, would be second to Françoise Bettencourt-Myers, the 67-year-old owner of L'Oréal, whose inherited fortune is now about $83 billion.

Huge wealth

The couple's staggering personal fortune includes their $66 million Lake Washington main home of 130 square feet, a string of vacation homes such as a $43 million oceanfront home near San Diego, and a $59 million ranch in Florida. .

In addition to real estate, the couple own several private jets and a fleet of cars, including a rare $959 million Porsche 23 and an electric Porsche Taycan. Their main house has garages that can accommodate up to XNUMX cars.

The future of charitable efforts

The divorce also raises questions about the future of the couple's philanthropic efforts across the foundation they run, which also attracts money from numerous donors, ranging from billionaire Warren Buffett to the UK government.

While the couple have said they will remain co-chairs of the foundation, some experts suggest that the divorced couple may have different and consistent views about the future direction of the charity.

Gates Foundation (AFP)

In addition, the Bloomberg Rich List ranks Bill Gates as the fourth richest person in the world, with a total fortune of about $146 billion. However, he would be much richer - and perhaps still the richest person in the world - if he had not already donated at least $40 billion to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

The split between Bill Gates comes shortly after Jeff Bezos, the president of Amazon and the world's richest person, split from his 25-year-old wife, Mackenzie Scott.

Melinda Gates (AFP)

Their divorce in 2019 turned Scott into the fourth richest woman in the world, with a fortune of $38 billion. Since then her fortune, most of which is held in Amazon stock, has risen to $60 billion as Amazon's stock price soared, and she's donating billions of dollars in charitable gifts totaling $6 billion in 2020.