Gates' divorce had long been decided - Epstein's name appears in the papers

Bill and Melinda Gates' billion-dollar divorce caused a sensation worldwide.

Now more and more details are coming to light.

Seattle - The marriage of Bill and Melinda Gates is said to have been about to end much longer than previously known.

Thereafter, Melinda Gates (56) is said to have met divorce lawyers for the first time a good two years ago, the

on Sunday.

The trigger for the separation is said to have been Gates's long-term acquaintance with Jeffrey Epstein, according to the report.

The US investment banker and convicted sex offender is said to have maintained a ring for the sexual exploitation of underage girls and was found dead in his cell in New York two months before the start of the trial in 2019.

The acquaintance between the couple Gates and Epstein is said to go back to 2013.

The

reported on several meetings between Bill Gates and Epstein in 2019.

A spokeswoman said at the time that the meetings were about philanthropic projects.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is the largest private charitable foundation worldwide, with over $ 50 billion in disbursements.

Gates divorce: Melinda reportedly warned her husband about Jeff Epstein several times

According to divorce papers, Melinda Gates has repeatedly expressed her discomfort with Epstein to her husband, for the first time shortly after the couple met Epstein in 2013 in his townhouse on New York's Upper Eastside.

It is said that she felt uncomfortable in Epstein's presence.

Nevertheless, the Microsoft founder would have met Epstein again and again afterwards.

Melinda Gates was "angry" about this.

Melinda and Bill Gates announced their separation last Monday (May 3rd) after a good 25 years of marriage.

With an estimated fortune of around 145 billion dollars, the Microsoft founder is one of the richest people in the world.

Gates divorce: $ 2 billion worth of shares

Following the divorce announcement, Melinda French Gates received shares in a Gates holding company valued at $ 2 billion. According to media reports, the computer scientist and economist with the three children from her marriage to Bill Gates are currently on the small private island in the Caribbean. According to a report by the American People Magazine, the separation should have been clear for a long time. However, they waited until their youngest daughter, Phoebe, graduated from high school.