After being separated from Bill, Melinda Gates could become the second richest woman in the world

In her divorce petition presented Monday at the King County Supreme Court in Seattle, Washington, Melinda Gates stated that her marriage to Microsoft's multi-billion-dollar co-founder, Bill Gates, one of the richest men on the planet, was “irreversibly” and called on the court to share the combined property of the couple's 146 billion dollars, writes The Guardian. The 50-50 split is likely because submitting the demand for divorce also reveals that the couple who married in 1994 did not sign a pre-marital contract, and according to Washington State Law couples who divorce must share their assets equally.

If this goes forward, Melinda French Gates who recently introduced her maiden name French into her social networking profiles will be ranked the second richest woman in the world after the French Bettencourt Meyers, 67-year-old owner of “L'Oreal”, whose inherited wealth now stands at about $83 billion. According to the Bill Gates index of billionaires "Bloomberg," is currently ranked the fourth richest person in the world, with total wealth of around $146 billion. However, he would be much richer and probably the richest person in the world if he didn't have 40 billion dollars in joint ownership by the couple's charity, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

The cure also questions the future of philanthropic couples' efforts through the foundation, which also draws money from other donors, ranging from other billionaire Warren Buffett to the United Kingdom Government. While the couple have said they will remain co-chairman of the foundation, some experts suggest that the divorced couple may have different views and hold firmly to the future direction of the charity organisation.

It is a large foundation, employing 1,600 staff staff based in Seattle, which has provided $50 billion for projects in 135 countries since its establishment in 2000 and still has assets worth $43 billion. It focuses on projects to improve global health care, education and gender equality, with high ambitions and offers to eradicate certain diseases, such as polio. It also provides support in cases of natural disasters. Last year, the foundation provided $1.8 billion for emergency coronavirus medical supplies, PPS and vaccines. Another two billion dollars has been earmarked to test and eliminate malaria within a generation and $1.6 billion to help black students in the United States.

Rob Rach, a professor of political science at Stanford University, said: “Since the Gates Foundation is a family foundation and the Gates couple are ruining their family, divorce can have major consequences for the foundation and its work across the globe”.