Bill Gates shares rare photos of daughter on 20th birthday
Bill Gates is paying tribute to his daughter Phoebe as she turns 20.
“One of the greatest joys of my life is watching my kids grow into amazing adults,” Gates captioned an Instagram post on September 14. “Happy birthday, @phoebegates. I’m so proud of you.”
In his post, the billionaire Microsoft co-founder shared candid pictures with Phoebe through the years. Phoebe, a sophomore at Stanford University, is the youngest of Bill’s three children. Bill and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates are also parents of Jennifer, 26, and 23-year-old son, Rory.
Jennifer Gates is a medical student at Mount Sinai’s Icahn School of Medicine, while Rory graduated from the University of Chicago in June.
When Bill celebrated his 66th birthday in June, Phoebe honored him on Instagram with a carousel of throwback photos.
“Dad, thank you for letting me learn from you every day and look up to your intellect and work,” she gushed. “Most importantly, thank you for being my dad. Love you today and always.”
Phoebe appears to be following in Melinda’s footsteps. In July she penned an essay for Vogue expressing her anger and sadness over the Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe v. Wade.
“When you’re Melinda’s daughter, it’s easy to be passionate about reproductive health,” Phoebe wrote. “My mom is my hero. She’s a brilliant reformer who travels the world advocating for gender equality.”
Phoebe said that she will continue fighting for reproductive rights.
"That, I hope, is the final legacy of Friday’s decision: that it created a whole generation of pissed-off young people who will devote our lives to winning back a woman’s right to choose," she noted. "This time, for good."
Bill and Melinda announced in a joint statement in 2021 that they were ending their marriage after 27 years.
“The divorce is definitely a sad thing,” he told TODAY co-anchor Savannah Guthrie in May. “I have responsibility for causing a lot of pain to my family.”
“I feel good that all of us are moving forward now,” the philanthropist added.
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This article was originally published on TODAY.com
