Who is Rory Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates’ Only Son?
Who is Rory Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates’ Only Son?

Bill Gates met Melinda French in a Microsoft business meeting in 1987. French was a product manager at the company and understood Gates' passion for his work, which led to sparks for the two. After a year of casual dating, the couple dropped the L-word and things got much more serious, according to CNBC.

The Gates got married on January 1, 1994, in Lanai, Hawaii, and enjoyed a private performance by singer-songwriter Willie Nelson the night before the ceremony (via Biography). Two years later, the couple welcomed their first child, Jennifer, who is now 25 years old. The Gates later had two more kids, Rory, 21, and Phoebe, 18, and the Gates children all attended private Lakeside High School in Seattle, per Insider. After raising their three kids and being married for 27 years, Bill Gates announced their divorce through a joint-statement tweet on May 3, 2021.

Despite enjoying a fortune, the couple raised their kids with several rules to teach them the value of work and family. Melinda believes in splitting the household chores equally so washing the dishes together was a common practice at their home, according to GeekWire. The children didn't get their own phones until they were 14 years old and even then, they weren't allowed to use them at the dinner table per family rules. So, who is Gates's only son?

Who is Rory Gates?

Rory John Gates is the second child and only son of Bill and Melinda Gates. He was born on May 23, 1999, in Seattle, Wash., and is smack-dab in the middle of his family of five with an older sister, Jennifer, and a younger sister, Phoebe. Melinda has toted her son on Instagram as having, "inherited his parents' obsessive love of puzzles" and as a "feminist." While that's all well and good, his world, as well as his siblings', was undoubtedly rocked by the announcement that their billionaire parents are divorcing after 27 years of marriage.

Rory Gates' Family

His father, Bill Gates, is a well-known tycoon, founder, former chairman and CEO of Microsoft, philanthropist, and author. Bill and Melinda Gates pose in front of the Elysee Palace after receiving the award of Commander of the Legion of Honor by French President Francois Hollande in Paris, France.

His mother is a philanthropist and a former general manager at Microsoft. Bill and Melinda were married for 27 years before they decided to go their separate ways. They announced their split in a joint Twitter statement. The divorce was finalized on August 2nd, 2021.

Rory has two sisters. Jennifer Katharine Gates, who is the oldest, was born in 1996. She is currently in a relationship with Nayel Nassar, an Egyptian equestrian. Phoebe Adele Gates, who is the youngest child, was born in 2002. Rory and his siblings had a strict upbringing. For example, they were not allowed to use cell phones until they were 13 years old and were required to do unpaid chores.

Rory Gates' early years

Photo: luxurylaunches
Photo: luxurylaunches

Growing up, Bill and Melinda Gates gave their kids a 66,000-sq-ft dream house. Nicknamed Xanadu 2.0, the ultra-luxurious US$150 million lakefront mansion in Medina, Washington had just about every amenity you could imagine, including a trampoline room, a pool and its own artificial beach with sand flown in from the Caribbean islands.

Despite the luxurious lifestyle, Bill and Melinda made sure their three kids observed their set of rules: they didn’t get mobile phones until the age of 14 and had to wash the dishes every night. Even when they finally got their own mobile phones, they came with strict limitations – phones were forbidden at the dinner table and screen time was limited.

“We often set a time after which there is no screen time, and in their case, that helps them get to sleep at a reasonable hour,” Bill Gates told The Mirror in 2017. “You’re always looking at how it can be used in a great way – homework and staying in touch with friends – and also where it has gotten to excess.”

Jennifer, Rory and Phoebe Gates grew up in a religious household, dad Bill Gates once said. Photo: Melinda French Gates/Facebook

In an interview with Rolling Stone magazine, Bill revealed that his family regularly attends church. “We’ve raised our kids in a religious way. They’ve gone to the Catholic church that Melinda goes to and I participate in,” he said.

The billionaire also noted that his philanthropy centres on reducing global inequality – a cause Rory has reportedly picked up from his parents.

Rory Gates's Education

Coming from a wealthy family entails privileges such as attending top schools and afford a lifestyle that many may only dream of. Which college did Rory John Gates go to?

Just like Bill Gates, Rory went to the Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington. He has a bachelor’s degree in Computer Software Engineering and Economics from Duke University, where his mother went to college. Rory is also an MBA from the Fuqua School of Business.

At Duke University, he earned an MBA in Computer Science and Economics. After receiving his first diploma, he enrolled in another school (Fuqua School of Business) to pursue a second MBA.

Rory Gates's Future plans

Rory Gates is currently at the University of Chicago and is set to pass out in 2022. With son studying in the city, Bill Gates bought a five-bedroom mansion in Chicago for $1.25 million. His mother describes Rory as “compassionate and curious.” While his elder sister is an equestrian and his younger one aims to be a ballet, Rory looks to be on a path similar to his father.

He Is Not Chord Paul Overstreet

Rory John Gates and his siblings—Jennifer Katharine Gates and Phoebe Adele Gates—had a strict upbringing and were not allowed to have mobile phones until they were 14. Even then, they had limited screen time and were not active on social media like most teenagers. As a result, pictures of the Gates children were scarce until Jennifer started using Instagram after turning 19. For some reason, several tabloids resorted to using pictures of celebrities on articles about the younger Gates. The pictures of American actress and model Rachael Leigh Cook were first used for Jennifer and later for Phoebe as well, while pictures of actor Chord Paul Overstreet were used for Rory. This trend has continued even after rare family vacation photos of Bill and Melinda with their three children were published in the media. While recent pictures of Rory John Gates have surfaced online several times in the past few years, the most-used picture on his online profiles is still one of Overstreet.

Rory Gates' net worth

Photo: dnaindia
Photo: dnaindia

Rory Gates certainly isn't poor, with his net worth estimated at around $20million, according to several websites.

But, his dad has stressed that each of his kids will get just a small slice of his multi-billion-dollar wealth.

In the 30 years from 1987 to 2016, Bill and Melinda Gates amassed about $120billion, reported The Conversation in 2018.

Bill, the world's fourth-richest man, has spoken in the past about how each of his three children would only inherit about $10million of his massive fortune.

During a Reddit Q&A session in 2013, when asked whether it was true he would give Jennifer, Rory, and Phoebe $10million each, Bill confirmed that this amount was for their benefit.

He said: "I definitely think leaving kids massive amounts of money is not a favor to them.".

Rory and his sisters each have a trust fund set up for them, with the bulk of their dad's money reportedly left to charity.

Rory Gates dating

Heavy reports that "Rory Gates, like his younger sister, stays out of the spotlight.

"He has kept his Instagram page private, and he does not talk to media outlets about his personal life."

It's not clear who he is currently dating.

Does Bill Gates' son Rory have an Instagram account?

While there is Rory John Gates' Instagram page, it is private, so it is hard to say what he posts there. That said, you can find his photos on his mum's account @melindafrenchgates, or his father's account, @thisisbillgates.

Rory John Gates is among the top kids in the world who come from wealthy families. However, even though his parents are very famous, he maintains a very low-profile life. He doesn't talk to the media about his personal life and keeps his Instagram profile private.

Legit.ng reported about Froy Gutierrez, a Mexican-American actor known for his role as Nolan Holloway in the teenage drama Teen Wolf and Brad Carnegie in Wireless. He is also a singer and has released songs like Sideswipe and When It's Midnight.

How about Rory Gates' sibling

Photo: evoke
Photo: evoke

Rory and Phoebe Gates prefer keeping low profiles. The little that's been seen and known about them is through their mother's social media as she enjoys sharing family photos and talking about her children. "He's a great son and a caring brother. He's inherited his parents' obsessive love of puzzles. And one of the things that makes me proudest: Rory is a feminist," Melinda Gates wrote for her son on his 18th birthday. He's a student at the University of Chicago with a passion for law (via Gossip Cop). Phoebe, meanwhile, embraced the arts and studied ballet at The School of American Ballet and Juilliard, per Showbiz Cheat Sheet.

Gates' eldest daughter, Jennifer, graduated from Stanford University in 2018 where she studied biology, and she is now in her second year of medical school at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City (via CNBC). From a young age, Jennifer got hooked on horseback riding and pursued it competitively even during her college years, according to Sidelines Magazine. She is now engaged to fellow equestrian Nayel Nassar, who she met at Stanford. "I can't wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing, and loving together," she wrote on Instagram in January of 2020, announcing her engagement.

Rory Gates' Facts, who might become Microsoft CEO someday

1. Brought up in Gates’ posh $150 million mansion

Rory Gates is the middle child of three and the Gates kids grew up in the philanthropist couple’s $150 million, 66,000 square feet mansion called Xanadu 2.0 in Seattle, US. Rory was born in 1999 and grew up with his mom Melinda and sisters Jennifer and Phoebe Adele with dad working 16 hours a day building Microsoft.

2. A feminist who loves puzzles

His mother has proudly proclaimed on social media that her son is a feminist and is obsessed with puzzles. Rory is also a philanthropist like his parents. Like his sisters, Rory grew up in a regulated atmosphere, washing his own dishes and not owning a phone till 14.

3. Rory John Gates Likes To Live A Private Life

Not so much is known about Rory especially being the son of a billionaire. He prefers to keep a low profile key life, away from the media spotlight.

Still, in his early twenties, Rory is making all his youthful years very fruitful.

He could probably be dating someone whom he has hidden from the entire society or from the media.

4. Rory Gates Believes In Gender Equality For All

One thing we know about Rory is that he is a champion for women’s rights. On his 18th birthday, Melinda Gates penned an essay for Time about his perspectives on feminism.

“Rory is compassionate and curious,” wrote his mother. “He’s intelligent and well-read and deeply informed about the wide range of issues that interest him. He’s a great son and a great brother. He’s inherited his parents’ obsessive love of puzzles. But one of the things that makes me proudest is that Rory is a feminist.”

Melinda told readers that the family often talked about gender equality at the dinner table. She encouraged her children to speak out when they witnessed unfair treatment.

“Rory, for his part, does,” she continued. “Across 18 years of conversations, sharp observations, and everyday actions, he’s demonstrated his belief that gender equality is something worth standing up for.”

She recalled a mother-and-son trip to Malawi in 2015. On their travels, the family learned that local men had recently begun to share more duties with their wives. Rory surprised his mother by telling her he was unmoved.

“I was impressed,” Melinda wrote. “I thought that, in many ways, what these men were doing was extraordinary. Rory respectfully disagreed. He told me he thinks that standing up to unfair norms is nothing more than exactly what men everywhere should be doing. Yes, he recognizes that the more entrenched the norms, the more courage it takes to confront them. But he also believes that it’s a universal responsibility and one that he’s already striving to uphold in his own life.”
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