Bill Gates' ex-wife says kids were brought up middle class - despite daughter's $16M grad gift

Despite their divorce in 2021 after 27 years of marriage, Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates continue to be dedicated parents and grandparents to their children Jennifer, 28, Rory, 25, and Phoebe, 22. Even though he is one of the richest people in the world, ranked seventh by Forbes in 2024, Bill has been candid about his decision not to leave his entire fortune to his children . He feels that doing so would be a "mistake" and intends to donate most of his wealth to charitable causes, including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

However, according to the New York Post, Bill and Melinda did present their daughter with an extravagant graduation gift - a $15.82 million horse farm in North Salem, Westchester. Jennifer received this property when she graduated from Stanford University in 2018.



Despite the lavish gift, Melinda insists that their children were brought up modestly, reports the Irish Star . In a 2024 interview with The New York Times, she compared it to her own upbringing: "I think it was much more of an upbringing like I grew up in," she said. She went on to emphasize the financial discipline they instilled from an early age: "A very middle-class household where money did dictate whether I got an extra pair of shoes that year or not.

" While the Gates children did receive allowances, excessive spending was not encouraged. "We absolutely did not just buy them things," Melinda stated, underlining the importance of saving. Bill, eager to support his daughter Jennifer's high-flying equestrian dreams, splashed out a whopping $38 million on a luxurious estate in Wellington, Florida—a hotspot for celebrities like Michael Bloomberg and Bruce Springsteen.

The property boasted a lavish home, cutting-edge equestrian amenities, and sprawling grounds perfect for a majestic horse parade. At 22, Jennifer was the lucky recipient of this opulent real estate graduation present and has since turned 28, tied the knot with Olympic show jumper Nayel Nassar, and remains active in the competitive equestrian circuit. Despite their immense wealth, Melinda emphasized that it never dictated their family values.

Recalling her encounters with well-off students at Duke University, she shared: "I vowed to myself that if I ever had resources at my disposal, those were not the kind of children I wanted to raise." Click here to follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories..