A smiling Bill Gates and his ex-wife Melinda have shared the first photos of their granddaughter – a month after she was born.
Billionaire Gates – who divorced his ex-wife in 2021 after 27 years of marriage – wrote “Can’t wait to see you explore the world” alongside a photo of him rocking the newborn wearing a pink babygrow.
Melinda, 58, also uploaded a picture of her with the baby – which appeared to have been taken on another occasion – saying ‘there’s nothing like holding your first grandchild’.
Daughter Jennifer, 26, announced the birth of her child a month ago today – whom she shares with her equestrian husband Nayel Nassar – via an Instagram shot of the baby’s feet.
Melinda Gates uploaded a photo of her granddaughter on Friday afternoon, telling her followers there’s ‘nothing like holding your first grandchild’
Bill simultaneously posted a photo with the caption, ‘Can’t wait to see you explore the world’
But they have been tight-lipped about the girl ever since and have not uploaded any pictures of her to any of their social media profiles until today.
The baby’s face was not visible in any of the photos, but they do show the baby’s black head of hair. Her name has not yet been announced.
The coordinated posts were published online at the same time, although they appear to have been posted on separate occasions.
Melinda wore a bright orange jumper and appeared to still be wearing a ring on her wedding finger in the photo.
She wrote, “It seems like yesterday I held Jenn at this age. Now she’s got a baby of her own – and I’m bursting with pride as I watch her and Nayel step into their new roles as parents.”
Jennifer also uploaded a photo of her beaming while holding the child. It was captioned with just a flower and a star emoji.
Gates, 65, and Melinda announced their shock divorce in May 2021, claiming at the time, “We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple.”
In a joint statement shared on Twitter, they added, “After much thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.”
The duo first met in the 1980s when Melinda was an employee of Gates’ Microsoft.
They married in Hawaii in 1994 and together they have three children, Jennifer being the eldest.
They also jointly run the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, which has donated billions to fight causes such as infectious diseases.
The family is tight-lipped about the birth of the little girl. On March 6, Jennifer confirmed she had given birth with an Instagram shot of the newborn’s allowance
Jennifer also posted a photo of her holding the baby on Instagram on Friday
Jennifer has been pictured with her equestrian husband Nayel Nassar while pregnant last November
Jennifer wrote at the time, “It has been a challenging period for all of our family. I’m still learning how to best support my own process and emotions.’
Gates was later accused of pursuing women who worked for him at Microsoft and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation while still married.
In 2019, Microsoft’s board of directors opened an investigation into allegations that he “attempted to enter into an intimate relationship with an employee of the company in the year 2000.”
He admitted to having one affair during their decades-long marriage.
And later, Melinda also acknowledged that the divorce was fueled in part by her ex-husband’s relationship with disgraced pedophile financier Jeffrey Epstein.
Last year, she told CBS Mornings’ Gayle King, “It was a lot of things. But I didn’t like that he had meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made that clear to him.’
Gates said at the time that his meetings with Epstein — who died in prison in 2019 — were a “substantial error of judgment” and “one that I deeply regret.”
Melinda also told King that the former billionaire couple were “friendly” but not friends.
After their divorce, the couple split their $130 billion fortune, though it has not been made public how their fortune was divided.
The duo seemed to put their differences aside in October 2021 when they both walked Jennifer down the aisle for her New York wedding.
Jennifer – a doctor and former top international equestrian athlete – met husband Nassar on the equestrian circuit.
Jennifer Gates gave followers a glimpse of her gorgeous baby shower hosted by her mother, Melinda Gates, last year
She also thanked her mum, Melinda, 58, for “hosting the incredible evening,” previously saying she “couldn’t be more excited to meet the little one”
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Nassar currently ranks 44th in the world as a show jumping rider.
Last year, Jennifer shared an intimate look at her baby shower hosted by mom Melinda in December last year.
Beautiful photos showed her rocking her belly in a form-fitting, sheer red dress.
At that point, she gushed, “Still over the moon after this baby shower.
Thank you to all the people who have given me and my baby so much love from far and wide and @melindafrenchgates for hosting this incredible evening. Our hearts are all so full.’