Bill Gates' Kids Live An Extremely Lavish Life

Bill Gates is one of the wealthiest people on the planet (at times he's been the wealthiest). The Microsoft co-founder has billions, and his fortune has allowed him to live an incredibly posh lifestyle. Gates has owned multiple multimillion-dollar properties, aircraft, and the most private farmland of anyone in the United States. He's also been able to rub shoulders with some of the most prominent people in the world — others who have billions, world leaders, elite athletes, A-list celebrities, and more. There aren't many people in the world who can live like Gates. 

For 34 years, he has shared his life with Melinda French Gates, his ex-wife whom he met in New York City in 1987 and married in Hawaii in 1994. Bill and Melinda had three children together: Jennifer Gates, Rory Gates, and Phoebe Gates, and once their first child was born, Melinda quit her job to be a stay-at-home mom. Thanks to the company Bill co-founded, Melinda was not a stay-at-home mom who needed to be frugal or find a side hustle to supplement their income — the family had plenty of money. That money also ensured that Bill's children never wanted anything. They've always had access to the best of the best, and that's continued into their adult lives. This is the extremely lavish life that Bill Gates' kids live. 

As a billionaire since the late 1980s, Bill Gates has been able to provide a lavish life for his children. Before he married his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates, with whom he shares his three children, Bill started building a 66,000-square-foot waterfront estate that's named Xanadu 2.0 in Washington. 

Melinda has shared that she wasn't certain she wanted to move into Xanadu 2.0, but she knew that if she did, she would make it into a family home. "Every single person who walks through our door should feel comfortable in our house, despite how large it is and that it has nice art," Melinda said of Xanadu 2.0 in an interview with The New York Times Magazine in 2019.

Xanadu 2.0 has a lot more than just art to make it intimidating. It's got an exercise room that's bigger than the average-sized house, a library, a theater room, a trampoline room, an indoor/outdoor pool with an underwater sound system, and 24 bathrooms. Xanadu 2.0 is in the same neighborhood as Jeff Bezos's property, and it was valued at $130 million in 2021.

There are a few telltale signs that someone grew up in a wealthy family. One such sign is the sports in which they participate, like equestrianism. Being an equestrian is so costly because it involves caring for a horse, and horses are not cheap animals. In addition to purchasing the horse, which can cost anywhere from a couple hundred to millions of dollars, equestrians have to pay for upkeep, which includes feeding, maintenance, and boarding. They also have to pay for lessons and horse insurance, which costs an additional thousands of dollars per month. Bill Gates' daughter, Jennifer Gates, has been participating in this sport for many years, and we can only imagine how much Bill has spent over the years for Jennifer to ride horses.

The money Bill has spent on Jennifer's equestrian hobby might not be in vain, though, because it's much more than a hobby for her. Jennifer is an accomplished equestrian who's competed in some of the most prestigious riding competitions in the world and was once ranked nationally as a professional showjumper. Of the Gates children, Jennifer is the only equestrian — she shared in an interview that her siblings have other interests — but there are other children of famous and wealthy people who participate in the sport, like Michael Bloomberg's daughter Georgina Bloomberg and Bruce Springsteen's daughter Jessica Springsteen.

Jennifer Gates got married in the fall of 2021, and her wedding was the stuff of dreams. The bride wore two separate custom Vera Wang gowns, one for the ceremony and one for the reception. The festivities were held at the multi-million dollar farm Gates was gifted by her parents upon her college graduation, and she worked with wedding planners to make arrangements for the weekend. While we're not sure who footed the bill, we imagine Gates' wedding would've been just as lavish even if her father weren't a billionaire. Gates married Nayel Nassar, the son of the founders of Diwan Interiors International. Nassar and Gates met through their shared passion for equestrianism, and the two got engaged on a ski slope. It doesn't get much posher than that.

Still, being uber-wealthy doesn't make you immune to challenges. The couple got married amid the COVID-19 pandemic and on the heels of Gates' parents' divorce. "It's been a challenging year, both collectively with the pandemic and for our families going through transitions," she told Vogue in 2021. "But our love for one another has been a constant. Being able to celebrate our wedding with our closest friends and family was a dream come true," she added.

Real estate is not cheap, especially in New York City, but when your father is one of the richest men in the world, purchasing a home becomes a lot more accessible. Jennifer Gates reportedly lives in a New York City penthouse worth over $50 million. (For reference, as of 2023, the average cost to rent an apartment comparable to Gates' penthouse in number of bedrooms is around $7,000 per month.) The swanky pad has six bedrooms and eight bathrooms, a pool, and outdoor space that trumps the average size of a house. Among her neighbors are Meg Ryan as well as Blake Lively and Ryan Reynolds. "It's almost like an oasis up there as well. There are a lot of different choices, so I can see why people find it alluring to buy a unit in the building," Theresa Genovese, principal of the architecture firm that designed the building, told CNBC in 2023. We can't imagine it would take much convincing to live there.

The Manhattan penthouse isn't the only property Gates owns. She also has a horse farm worth nearly $16 million that was given to her by her parents. The farm is located in Westchester, New York, and boasts over 120 acres of land.

When your father is a billionaire, you have access to the best of the best in every facet of life, including education. For Jennifer Gates, this meant earning degrees from two different private universities. Gates studied human biology at Stanford University, and she earned her master's degree in public health from Columbia University. "Thank you [Columbia Public Health] for this incredible educational opportunity and the village around me who made this possible. Grateful," Gates shared on Instagram after her graduation ceremony from the New York City institution in 2023. 

Gates hasn't shared her exact plans post-graduation, but in the past, she has stated that she intends to practice medicine in some capacity. "I'm excited to continue to learn, and share what I can with people," Gates told Sidelines Magazine in 2020. "Being receptive to learning about others' experience, regardless of what they're pursuing, will help me be a better physician in the future and continue to do my part in the world," she added.

Gates wouldn't have to pursue medicine if she didn't want to, though — the billionaire's daughter has options. Gates founded and owns Evergate Stables, an international show-jumping stable that she operates with her husband, Nayel Nassar. Nassar is career-driven, too. The former Olympic equestrian co-founded an app that tracks show jumping results and statistics.

Given the fact that their father is one of the most well-known men in the world, the Gates children can't exactly live anonymously. One of them, however, does a very good job of keeping his life private — the middle child, Rory Gates. We do know that Gate grew up with his family in Xanadu 2.0, the family's mega-mansion in Washington. We also know that he has earned an education from some of the most prestigious — and expensive — institutions in the world. 

The billionaire's son attended Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, a private middle and high school with a tuition cost of around $40,000 per year (and we're willing to bet the Gates weren't eligible for any financial aid). He also went to college at the University of Chicago, which costs around $85,000 per year. According to his sister's post, Rory majored in two subjects and got his master's as well.

Aside from his educational achievements, his mother, Melinda French Gates, shared that Rory is a feminist in an essay for Time. Melinda said she worked hard to raise a son who values gender equality. "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," she said.

Unlike her brother, Phoebe Gates is quite public with her life. She doesn't share every detail of her day, but she documents her travels, writing, and more on both Instagram and TikTok. In addition to traveling and occasionally writing for major publications, Gates studies human biology at Stanford University, a private college in California that costs around $60,000 per year to attend. When she's not doing any of the aforementioned activities, Gates is working on the company she founded that aims to improve sustainable shopping.

Gates realizes that she has been afforded opportunities that others don't have, and she wants to use her privilege for causes she's passionate about. "I'm working on ways to support the fight for women's reproductive rights," Gates said in an interview with Reformation. "I'm thinking about how I can use my platform and voice to support the activists fighting back to reclaim our reproductive rights, this time for good," she added. The Stanford student also noted, "I'm aware that my family name brings a platform and I'm thinking about how I might use this to spotlight the awesome activists doing incredible work day in, day out."

Phoebe Gates also has a passion for fashion. While on break for the summer, Gates spent her time interning for British Vogue (an internship we presume was easier for Gates to get because of her connections, but we can't say for sure). "It was an honor to work with some of the best in the business and learn from you all," Gates said, as reported by People. "We put in some long hours, but I cherish every moment of it!" she added. 

To Gates' credit, she has parlayed her connection with Condé Nast into legitimate work. In the fall of 2022, Gates published an op-ed for Teen Vogue explaining her perspective on Femtech and the role it can play in female healthcare moving forward, and she wrote an opinion piece for Vogue that same year about the overturning of Roe v. Wade and the global implications of the decision.

But since she is the daughter of a billionaire, Gates probably doesn't need to worry about applying for more jobs with Vogue after graduation. Gates seems to have already set up business opportunities post-grad, making the transition from college to adulthood easier than for those whose parents are, well, not billionaires.

Phoebe Gates hasn't just worked in fashion — she's also rubbed shoulders with some of the most prominent names in the industry. One person she's bonded with is Stella McCartney, the designer known for her eponymous fashion label. From the outside looking in, McCartney and Gates have a lot in common — they're both interested in fashion, they care about sustainable fashion practices, and they both have rich and famous fathers. 

However, Gates has learned some valuable lessons from her time spent with McCartney, whom she met through her mother. "I felt very connected to her. I feel like because she's been able to use the platform she had, because of who her dad is, and then she took that and instead of being like, 'Oh, people define me by this,' she took it and she was like, 'Okay, I have this immense privilege, now I'm going to use it to leverage something,'" Gates told WWD.

Gates has also worked with McCartney. In 2023, Gates and Sophia Kianni, co-founders of the fashion platform Phia, collaborated with McCartney to design handbags in honor of the US Open's 50th anniversary, given that the tournament was the first Grand Slam to award the same amount of winnings to women as men. "[The bag] is designed to support women in tennis and honor these 50 years," Gates told Vogue.

Being the daughter of a billionaire has gotten Phoebe Gates into some of the most exclusive events in the world. In the summer of 2023, Gates attended the 20th-anniversary celebration of the Shawn Carter Foundation, and she spent a good chunk of her September attending fashion shows for New York Fashion Week. Gates posted photos of her time in the city with her mother, and she shared footage of her viewpoint from the Gabriela Hearst show. Earlier that year, Gates spoke at the Global Citizen NOW conference, joining businessmen and women, world leaders, and celebrities like Katie Holmes and John Legend.

2023 wasn't the first year Gates had attended high-profile events. In 2022, Gates accompanied her father to the Time 100 Gala in New York City. "So honored to attend #Time100 with my dad. I felt so inspired by all these change-makers," Gates said on Instagram. Unsurprisingly, Gates interacted with other super-famous people at the event, like Marvel actor Simu Liu. "​​Glad Simu Liu finally got my dad to try bubble tea," Gates noted. Gates was able to attend the event because her father was one of the speakers at the Time 100 Summit, sharing his perspective on the COVID-19 pandemic and what he sees for the future of public health.

Bill Gates' children live incredible lives right now, but as Bill has stated, he doesn't intend for them to have access to billions forever, or at least not his billions. Bill and his ex-wife Melinda French Gates once famously declared that they intend to leave $10 million to each of their children, and that they will donate the rest of their fortune to charity. Some have since speculated that the Gates children's future inheritance will increase now that Bill and Melinda are no longer married, but neither have commented publicly.

Bill has a very clear reason for abstaining from leaving his entire fortune to his children. "It's not a favor to kids to have them have huge sums of wealth because it distorts anything they might do creating their own path," Gates said on This Morning. "This money is dedicated to helping the poorest, and they know that. They're proud of that." 

Bill did note that he and Melinda provided his children with a good education and that they'll always be taken care of. Bill's billions have already been pledged to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the charity organization the Gates created in 1991 that funds grants to help those in need. In 2022, the foundation funded nearly 2,000 grants and provided $7 billion in funding to its recipients.