The Stunning Transformation Of Bill Gates' Daughter Phoebe

Take one look inside the life of Bill Gates and you'd think it's all about technology and philanthropy; however, he's also a dedicated father to his three children, Jennifer, Phoebe, and Rory. Despite his wealth, he's also tried to give his kids as normal an upbringing as possible.

Bill met Melinda French in 1987 when she worked as a product manager at Microsoft. After crossing paths at a meeting, Bill asked her out but suggested the date take place two weeks later. That wasn't spontaneous enough for Melinda, who shut down his advances, but Bill persevered. The couple wound up engaged in 1993 and tied the knot on New Year's Day 1994 before welcoming two daughters and a son.

All of Gates' kids live an extremely lavish lifestyle and yet, they also had a lot of normalcy in their childhoods. What's more, while they are slated to inherit some money, most of it will go to the Gates Foundation. "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," the tech mogul told "This Morning" in 2017. So far, his plan appears to be working: Bill and Melinda Gates' youngest daughter, Phoebe, has already started blazing her own path.

When Phoebe Gates was born on September 14, 2002, her father was already a tech giant with a net worth of $50 billion. Immediately, she was surrounded by luxury as she was brought home from the hospital to a multimillion-dollar mansion in Medina, Washington. Bill Gates initially bought the land for $2 million in 1988, then spent seven years and $63 million building his dream home full of unparalleled amenities. Spanning an impressive 66,000 square feet, the property has 7 bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, 6 kitchens, a home theater with room for 20, and its own reception room to host 200 guests.

As a kid, Phoebe likely enjoyed playing in the trampoline room (complete with a 20-foot ceiling), swimming in the 60-foot pool, and frolicking on the man-made beach containing the finest sand imported from the Caribbean. And even as she grows up, she won't have to say goodbye to these over-the-top experiences because Bill has vowed never to move out. "My house in Seattle, I admit, is gigantic," he told The Times in 2025, but noted how, even as an empty nester, he wouldn't sell the property now valued at over $130 million.

Outside of home, a young Phoebe was also surrounded by wealth, as she attended Lakeside School, the same private institution from which her father graduated. Located in Seattle, the co-educational school caters to grades 5 through 12 with tuition for the 2024-2025 school year set at a whopping $44,730.

Bill Gates may have revolutionized how the world uses technology, but he had strict rules in place when it came to his own kids using tech for the first time. For one, Phoebe Gates and her siblings weren't allowed to have a cell phone until they turned 14. "They complained other kids got them earlier," Bill Gates told the Mirror in 2017, but he couldn't be swayed. What's more, once his children did get their devices, there were still plenty of rules to follow. A 14-year-old Phoebe was never allowed to bring her phone to the dinner table and her parents also monitored how much she used it. "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 told the outlet.

Another reality check came when mom Melinda Gates decided it was time for the whole family to start doing chores. "One night I realized I was still in the kitchen a good 10, 15 minutes after everybody else, doing the last-minute things," she told Business Insider in 2019. Frustrated by the situation, she forbade her family from simply leaving the next time they were done eating. "Hand on my hips, I'm like, 'Nobody leaves the kitchen until I leave the kitchen!'" she recalled. From that moment on, everyone, including Phoebe, was tasked with helping run the house.

As a high school student at Lakeside School in Seattle, Washington, Phoebe Gates was exposed to a slew of extracurricular activities, but the one that captured her heart was ballet. Indeed, she was so passionate about her hobby that she pursued it seriously, enrolling in various dance programs at prestigious institutions. According to the Daily Mail, this included going to summer school at the School of American Ballet at Lincoln Center, as well as studying at the Juilliard School. It seems that Phoebe's sights were set on becoming a professional ballerina all the way through high school and up until her graduation in 2021. The 18-year-old Phoebe decided to switch her focus to science and was accepted into Stanford University to study human biology.

However, there was one other artistic passion she discovered in high school that she decided to hold onto. During a semester abroad in Johannesburg, South Africa, Phoebe met a student working as a fashion designer. "I was like, 'wait, you can do that at this age?'" she told WWD. "I've always been interested in sketching and design," she added, noting how the encounter stuck with her and would later inspire her to pursue a fashion-based college internship.

Bill and Melinda Gates shocked the world in May 2021 when they announced their split after 27 years of marriage. Taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to make the official announcement, Bill told followers, "We no longer believe we can grow together as a couple in this next phase of our lives." However, he was also sure to underscore the fact that he and Melinda would continue working together on their foundation and that they would always be proud of the three kids their union created. In fact, it may have been one of those kids that kept them together longer than they wanted to be.

Not long after the announcement, more details began to emerge regarding the timing of Bill and Melinda Gates' divorce. Speaking with People that same month, a source claimed that Phoebe Gates' age dictated the actual timing of the split. "It's absolutely because their youngest child is graduating from high school, and the idea was that they stayed together through that," the insider claimed, alleging that Bill and Melinda wanted to wait until Phoebe turned 18 and became an adult. "They limped through until their kids were out of school like a lot of people," the source added.

While Phoebe didn't address her parents' divorce, her older sister Jennifer Gates, who shares a close relationship with Bill, surely spoke for all three siblings when she took to Instagram, revealing, "It's been a challenging stretch of time for our whole family" (via People).

In the middle of her time at Stanford University, a 19-year-old Phoebe Gates decided to pursue her passion for fashion with a 2-month summer internship at British Vogue. While there, she helped out a variety of teams — namely publishing, features, and fashion — while learning under the guidance of editor-in-chief Edward Enninful and publishing director Vanessa Kingori. When her stint came to an end in September 2022, she took to Instagram to thank them both and gush about the experience. "It was an honor to work with some of the best in the business and learn from you all," she wrote (via People). "We put in some long hours, but I cherish every moment of it!"

However, one of the most impactful moments was Gates' trip to Copenhagen Fashion Week. While there, she was inspired by the event's focus on sustainability, telling WWD, "It was super interesting and it was where I was like, 'OK, I want to do a bunch more stuff.'" Her meeting with sustainable designer Stella McCartney, one of Paul McCartney's talented children, only helped fan that flame further, making Gates even more excited about eco-friendly fashion. She was also moved by the fact that McCartney built her own successful empire, despite being a Beatle's daughter. "I want to have my own identity, I want to be my own person, I want to branch away from that, but how do I do that in a way where I can yield some sort of change?'" Gates mused.

Despite largely growing up away from the spotlight, Phoebe Gates became increasingly active on social media as she began college. Unfortunately, she soon learned just how toxic online culture can be. It all started in July 2022 when 19-year-old Gates posted a selfie with her then-boyfriend, fellow Stanford student Robert Ross, kissing her cheek. Instantly, the snap was inundated with racist comments, as trolls called out the fact that Ross is Black. Rather than engaging in the negativity, Gates simply posted another sweet snap with her beau.

Even so, the backlash did get to her, as she told The Information in March 2023. Asked to name the worst thing about social media, Gates admitted it was all the misconceptions about her and her boyfriend. "It's 2023, I'm done being memed for being in an interracial relationship," she slammed. She also noted that conspiracy theories about her dad, like one claiming that COVID-19 vaccines were implanting Microsoft chips in people, are hard to handle. Indeed, she's even had friends part ways with her because of such wild rumors.

However, Gates is choosing to focus on the positive side of social media. "TikTok has been a chance for me to tell my own story," she told The Information, adding how she also likes to use it to "spotlight issues that are important to me, like women's health and sustainable fashion."

As the head and co-founder of the Gates Foundation, Melinda Gates has made a career out of helping those less fortunate. One particular area of focus has been providing contraception to developing countries because, as she taught Phoebe Gates from a young age, it's an important step in helping women and girls build a strong future.

Melinda's passion clearly struck a chord because Phoebe has since started emerging as a powerful advocate in her own right. She often hosts Q&A sessions with her mom on TikTok, and she's penned several powerful op-eds over the years. In July 2022, for example, she wrote a piece for Vogue in which she shared her reaction to the Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade. "When you're Melinda's daughter, it's easy to be passionate about reproductive health," she explained. "When I started college last year, I wanted to become an advocate, like my mom." Vowing to join the fight for gender equality, Phoebe started digging into data, learning about policy, and thinking about ways to start impactful conversations.

Like many, she was shocked by the court's decision and she hasn't stopped talking about it since. Ahead of the 2024 presidential election, Phoebe wrote an op-ed for Nylon encouraging Gen Zers to vote for Kamala Harris. "I've been passionate about sexual and reproductive health issues since my early teenage years," she shared. "We need to do so as though our lives and futures depend on it — because they do." Phoebe went on to reveal some advice her mother imparted to her. "It was just over two years ago that I was with my mom when Roe was overturned," she wrote. "She saw how upset I was, and that's when she said the most important thing anyone has ever said to me: "Get mad. Stay mad. But ask yourself, 'What are you going to do about it?'"

Phoebe Gates' connection to the McCartney family became two-fold in 2023 when she began dating Paul McCartney's grandson, Arthur Alistair Donald. After striking up a friendship with Stella McCartney (and even attending her Paris Fashion Week presentation), Gates somehow crossed paths with Stella's nephew and fell in love. Donald is the eldest of the music legend's grandkids and is the son of Stella's sister, photographer Mary McCartney, and her ex, TV producer Alistair Donald. Born in 1999, he studied history at Yale University before starting work as a climate investor based in New York.

Gates first debuted her new beau on Instagram in October 2023 when she posted snaps of them together in Paris. The images instantly sparked romance rumors, although she initially refused to comment when asked about the alleged relationship by Bustle in March 2024. Jump to June of that year and a 21-year-old Gates confirmed to Nylon that they were indeed a couple. Sharing a snap from her Stanford University graduation, Gates paired it with a cheeky caption which read, "My boyfriend, Arthur, giving me a lift post-ceremony."

In June 2024, a 21-year-old Phoebe Gates officially completed her studies at Stanford University, as she graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Biology. In addition to it being an impressive course of study, Gates also wowed folks with the fact that she received her degree in just three years, which is the fastest possible time. Despite the challenge that posed, Gates told Nylon it had to be done. "I knew I had to make it happen if I could because I wanted to watch my mother deliver this year's commencement speech as a graduate," she explained. "I can't think of a better ending!"

Her parents were equally thrilled, with proud papa Bill Gates taking to Instagram to gush about his youngest daughter's big milestone. "While I've always been proud to call her my daughter, that pride reached new heights when I watched her cross that stage in June," he enthused. "It's a remarkable thing to see your child embark on a similar path of building something new and to be able to offer some insight," he went on, likely alluding to Phoebe's new business venture, fashion startup Phia.

Following in her father's footsteps, Phoebe Gates chose to go all in on tech following her 2024 graduation from Stanford University. Gates first met fellow alum Sophia Kianni when they were college roommates and they instantly bonded over fashion. As their friendship grew (they eventually got an apartment together in New York City after graduation), so, too, did a wild idea to make luxury shopping more sustainable. In between classes, the duo began working on Phia, a free browser extension that's meant to help shoppers find any luxe goods they want on the resale market. As the co-founders explain on Phia's site, they want folks to "choose to shop in a way that's kinder to your wallet — and the planet — without sacrificing an ounce of style."

Phia launched its beta in November 2024, just a month after its cofounder turned 22. The young entrepreneur admitted to People, "Sophia and I are first-time founders and learning as we go." She shared a similar sentiment in a blog post, admitting it hasn't always been smooth sailing; however, she noted they're not about to give up. "Starting a business isn't for the faint of heart," she mused. "It's endlessly humbling, and a continuous process of learning."