Although the announcement of billionaire Bill and Melinda Gates’ divorce surfaced on May 4, the couple reportedly meeting with lawyers for more than a year now. While there were speculations of the billionaire couple separating due to Bill’s ex-girlfriend Anne, the actual reason seems to be different, as per a report in Wall Street Journal.

According to the report, Melinda has been consulting lawyers since 2019, owing to Bill’s connection with the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The 56-year-old spoke with attorneys from several firms two years before announcing to the world their marriage was “irretrievably broken”. Melinda’s unease about Bill’s links to Epstein started as early as 2013.

Several older reports have previously linked Bill with Epstein. However, the spokeswoman for Microsoft Corp. co-founder said that the meetings only concerned philanthropic works. Epstein was an American financial who was convicted for sexual abuse and assault. He was also accused of running a vast network of underage girls for sex. In August 2019, he died in jail at the age of 66, two months prior to his trial on federal charges related to sex trafficking.

On May 4, Bill and his wife confirmed they are parting ways after investing 27 years in marriage on social media. Citing space and privacy for family as reasons for the split, formerly, the world’s richest person said that he was stepping down from Microsoft’s board to focus on philanthropy. The Microsoft co-founder and his wife ensured that although they will be no longer together as a couple, they would continue to work for the world’s largest charitable foundation that they have recently launched.

Bill Gates and Melinda’s Marriage On the Rocks Since 2019 after He Was Linked to Epstein Report

On May 4, Bill and Melinda Gates confirmed on social media that they are parting ways after being married for 27 years.