Bill Gates, Melinda Gates Are Divorcing and They Had No Prenup
Melinda Gates and Bill Gates speak during the Lin-Manuel Miranda In conversation with Bill & Melinda Gates panel at Hunter College on February 13, 2018 in New York City. John Lamparski/Getty Images

Bill Gates' wife, Melinda French Gates, has filed for a divorce after 27 years of marriage and the co-founder of Microsoft Corp. filed a joinder supporting the dissolution of the union.

The couple announced their decision through a joint statement that was published in Bill Gates' Twitter account. In the statement, the former couple noted that they have arrived at the decision after contemplating and thinking about it.

New York Post reported that court documents revealed that the billionaire couple did not have a prenuptial agreement, which is a deal made by the couple before they marry concerning the ownership of their respective assets should the union fail.

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Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates Divorce

The divorce papers that TMZ acquired showed that it was filed in King County Superior Court in Seattle, Washington on Monday.

The former couple, who built a charitable foundation, pledged to continue their philanthropic work together. However, they said that they no longer believe that they can "grow together as a couple" in the next chapter of their lives.

The two are known to be co-chairs and trustees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation launched in 2000, CNBC reported. In 2008, Bill Gates gave up his role at Microsoft to focus and spend more time on the foundation alongside Melinda Gates.

According to New York Post, the couple has a "separation agreement" that lays out the terms of the split in the divorce documents, but not a prenuptial agreement. When providing a reason for the divorce, Melinda Gates, 56, said the marriage was "irretrievably broken."

The Gates fortune is estimated at over $100 billion. That is why it was not surprising that Melinda Gates did not request spousal support. Bill Gates, 65, co-founded Microsoft Corp., and he rose to become one of the wealthiest persons in the world.

"Bill and Melinda will remain co-chairs and trustees of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation... No changes to their roles or the organization are planned," the organization said in a statement.

The organization added that the former couple would continue to work together in devising strategies and maneuvering the organization's overall direction.

The two had donated about $28 billion to the foundation in 2014. Today, the foundation has more than $51 billion in assets, CNBC reported, citing a tax filing. Because of this, the foundation became one of the world's wealthiest foundations.

Bill Gates and Wife Through the Years

Bill Gates met Melinda when she started working in Microsoft as a product manager in 1987. In January 1994, they got married in Hawaii. Melinda left the company in 1996 to focus on starting their family.

The former couple had three children, namely Jennifer, 25; Rory, 21; and Phoebe, 19. They noted in their tweet that they had raised three incredible children. They added that their years together allowed them to make a foundation that helps people worldwide.

Bill Gates and Melinda Gates asked for space and privacy for their family as they begin with the new chapters of their lives.

According to Forbes, Bill Gates is the world's fourth-richest person, behind Amazon's Jeff Bezos, LVMH's Bernard Arnault, and Tesla's Elon Musk.

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WATCH: Bill and Melinda Gates to Divorce - From Bloomberg Markets and Finance