Ever since Bill Gates, the founder of Microsoft and the world's fourth-richest man, and his wife, Melinda Gates, have decided to divorce, it has been speculated that it could be the most expensive divorce in the history of the world.
The couple separately released a joint statement on their Twitter account on Tuesday in which they announced the end of their 27-year marriage.
While Bill Gates and Melinda briefly outlined the reasons for their separation, they also pledged to continue working together for their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
According to Bloomberg, Bill Gates' assets are worth $146 billion. Under US law, after a divorce, Bill Gates will have to give half of his wealth to Melinda Gates, which could be about $73 billion.
— Melinda French Gates (@melindagates) May 3, 2021
After 25 years of marriage, Jeff Bezos paid his wife MacKenzie Scott $38 billion for a divorce, making her the third richest woman in the world.
According to Forbes Magazine, MacKenzie donated more than 4 billion to 384 charities last year.
Before Bill Gates' divorce decision, the divorce of Jeff Bezos, the founder of the American e-commerce company 'Amazon', which took place in 2019, was the most expensive in the world.
The third most expensive divorce is that of American businessman Alec Wildenstein in 1999, in which he paid his wife Jocelyn Wildenstein 2.5 billion.
In addition, he paid 100 million a year for 13 years. She is also known as "Catwoman" after undergoing plastic surgery several times. She has had 10 million in surgery so far.
According to Reuters, the court barred Jocelyn from spending the proceeds of the divorce on plastic surgery.
Number four is media and business tycoon Rupert Murdoch's divorce. Before the 1999 divorce, Rupert Murdoch had been married for 32 years.
In the divorce, Rupert Murdoch paid his wife, Anna Maria Mann, 1.7 billion. That included 110 million in cash. Just 17 days after the divorce, Rupert Murdoch married a model 38 years his junior.
The fifth most expensive divorce is the divorce of former Formula One chief executive and British businessman Bernie Ecclestone. As a result, he paid his wife, Slavica, 1.2 billion.
But under an extraordinary deal, Bernie continued to receive 100 million a year from his ex-wife's trust fund.