ビル・ゲイツ氏離婚

マイクロソフト創業者、ビル・ゲイツ氏と妻メリンダさんが離婚を発表。『結婚は修復不可能なほど破綻した』とツイートされました。

The couple filed for divorce at a court in Seattle, calling the marriage is “irretrievably broken” and asking the court to dissolve it.

※irretrievable=回復のできない、元通りにならない　retrieve=取り戻す、回収する

メリンダさんは以前、一日16時間働く夫との結婚が難しいとコメントしていました。

Melinda, 56, has in the past said their marriage has been “incredibly hard”, saying that Bill, 65, regularly works 16-hour days and can find it hard to make time for the family.

お二人の出会いから結婚

The couple met in 1987 when they were seated next to each other at a business dinner in New York City after Melinda became a product manager at Microsoft.

After seven years of dating, the couple tied the knot in one of the most exclusive weddings of the century.

※tie the knot結婚する

ビル・ゲイツは世界4位の大富豪。推定資産は124億ドル（13兆億円）です。

Bill is the world’s fourth-richest person with estimated $124 bn fortune.

その財産を、ビル・アンド・メリンダ・ゲイツ財団を設立して、世界の健康や教育に役立ててこられました。

The Microsoft co-founder turned philanthropist and his wife have built up a combined $124bn fortune, making them among the five richest couples in the world.

philanthropist＝慈善家、博愛主義者 phil（愛する）＋anthrop（人間）＋ist（主義者）

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, with an endowment of some $50 billion, has had immense influence in fields like global health and early-childhood education, and has made great strides in reducing deaths caused by malaria and other infectious diseases.

※endowment＝〔基金や財産の〕寄付、寄贈、寄付金、寄贈財産

※make great strides＝大幅に前進する、飛躍的発展を遂げる、躍進する

27年間の結婚で3人の子供のいるゲイツ夫妻は、財団は今後も共に関わっていくといいます。

The Gateses have been married for 27 years and have three children, ages 18 to 25.

Pair say in statement ‘we no longer believe we can grow together as a couple’ but will continue to run foundation together.

資産分割に注目が集まる中、夫妻は婚前契約を結んでいなかったと報じられました。メリンダさんは離婚手当は求めないと言われています。

The Gates apparently had no prenuptial contract — a so-called “prenup” — in place.

※A prenuptial agreement can ensure that assets you bring into the marriage remain yours if you and your spouse were to end up divorcing.

Melinda will not be seeking alimony from her soon-to-be ex-husband.

※alimony=〔離婚後・別居後の〕扶養手当、別居［離婚］手当　→spousal support　

旧姓を使うようになったメリンダさん。未成年者の性的搾取の人身取引で有罪となったジェフリー・エプスタイン（故人）とゲイツ氏の関係を懸念しており、離婚原因の一つとなったと言われています。

Melinda, who has recently introduced her maiden name, French, into her social media profiles, warned her husband about associating with Epstein in 2013.

Epstein was sentenced to 13 months confinement for soliciting prostitution from underage girls. (児童買春)

※solicit斡旋する

※prostitution=売春

Melinda was furious with Bill for meeting with the wealthy sex offender and it proved to be “a turning point for the Gates’ relationship”.