Bill and Melinda Gates are officially divorced after a court in the US state of Washington granted the couple’s petition.

Melinda French Gates, who will not be changing her name and said she does not require financial support, filed for divorce from Microsoft magnate Bill in May, describing their marriage as “irretrievably broken”; they will continue managing the Bill and Melinda Gates philanthropic foundation together for two years, after which Gates will buy his ex-wife out of the foundation if the arrangement is not working.

The pair, who married in 1994, issued a joint statement announcing their divorce in May.

“After a great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship, we have made the decision to end our marriage.

“Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives,” they said.

Since the announcement, lurid details have emerged about Bill Gates, including a sexual relationship with a Microsoft engineer and overnight stays at the apartment of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.