How Phoebe Gates, Bill and Melinda Gates’ glamourous daughter, got slammed yet stood up to trolls. Always clad in luxury brands she grew up in a $127 million house but remains a social justice warrior like her dad.


Not many people can say they were raised by the richest man in the world – but most people aren’t Phoebe Gates. The 19-year-old is the youngest child of mega-wealthy tech mogul Bill Gates – currently worth around US$113 billion – and his ex-wife, Melinda French Gates.

Bill Gates’ youngest child Phoebe Gates is just 19, but already living her best life. Photo: @thisisbillgates/Instagram

Active on social media, Phoebe loves to post her jet set lifestyle on Instagram to her 156,000 followers and often seems to be at either a party, a fashion show or on holiday. But last month, she found herself the target of a torrent of racist abuse from trolls after she posted pics of her new boyfriend on Instagram Stories.

Phoebe Gates introduced her mystery boyfriend with this cheeky post – and the internet went crazy. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

Not one to shy away from a fight, the stunning brunette has apparently leaned into the backlash, posting even more snaps of her and her mysterious new beau this week as she introduced him to mum Melinda while all three holidayed together in London. Good on you, Gates!

Here’s what else we know about Bill and Melinda’s youngest daughter.

Bill Gates with a young Phoebe Gates – by the time she was born, her dad was already a multibillionaire. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

Her childhood was extremely privileged
By the time Phoebe was born and raised just outside the tech hub of Seattle in 2002, Bill was already worth over US$50 billion. So it’s no surprise that Phoebe, her sister Jennifer and little brother Rory grew up very comfortably. She attended the country’s best private schools, including the prestigious Lakeside School, where tuition costs over US$40,000 a year.

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Bill Gates’ lakeside home in Medina, Washington is the ultimate in sustainable luxury living – Phoebe Gates certainly didn’t want for anything growing up here. Photo: TNS

Her family home was just as extravagant – a sprawling 66,000 sq ft lakefront mansion worth an estimated US$127 million. The property has seven bedrooms, 24 bathrooms, six kitchens, a library, home cinema, reception hall, trampoline room, a 23 car garage and a 18-metre (60-foot) pool.

Bill Gates may be known for his simple button down shirts and dad jumpers, but daughter Phoebe Gates is all about fashion. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

She’s studying at one of the country’s best schools
Even though her father famously dropped out of Harvard, Phoebe seems determined to not follow in his footsteps. She’s currently a student at Stanford University, and is about to enter her second year there.

Phoebe Gates is in her second year at Stanford University and, judging by her Instagram photos, seems to have made plenty of equally glamorous friends. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

No word yet on whether she plans to major in computer science, like both of her tech-minded parents did, but the campus is conveniently close to Palo Alto ….

Phoebe Gates accompanied her dad Bill Gates to the Time 100 Gala wearing the same Fendi x Versace dress Naomi Campbell rocked last year. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

Unsurprisingly, she’s got expensive taste and an eye for fashion
Phoebe made headlines in June when she walked the red carpet for the first time with her father at the Time 100 Gala. Showing off her high-end taste, she wore a slinky mesh gown from Fendi x Versace’s Fendace collection – originally modelled by fashion icon Naomi Campbell at Milan Fashion Week in 2021. High Snobiety even described her turn in front of the cameras as “one of the night’s unexpected red carpet highlights”.

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From Fendi to Louis Vuitton to Chanel, Phoebe Gates is almost always sporting attention-grabbing designer threads. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

She’s also known to post images of herself sporting her fave luxury brands, including Annie’s Ibiza, Chanel and Louis Vuitton.

Phoebe Gates got her followers’ attention, encouraging them to join her in the fight for the constitutional right to abortion. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

She’s not afraid to voice her opinions on important issues
Despite her young age, Phoebe wasn’t shy about voicing her outrage over the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn abortion rights in the US earlier this year. She encouraged her followers to donate to Planned Parenthood, and even wrote an op-ed on the subject for Vogue.

Phoebe Gates takes fashion seriously, and is often photographed looking great on Instagram. Photo: @phoebegates/Instagram

Her dad has said she won’t inherit his billion-dollar fortune
Even though Bill is one of the richest men in the world, that doesn’t mean Phoebe will be getting most of his fortune. That’s because her father has gone on record saying that he intends to donate most of his estate to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private charity, to continue its legacy of philanthropic efforts.

Bill and Melinda Gates with their three children, Jennifer, Phoebe and Rory. Photo: Melinda French Gates/Facebook

Don’t feel too badly for her though. According to her dad, he still plans on bequeathing a sizeable US$10 million to each of his children. She’ll be just fine!

Note: This story was originally published on SCMP and has been republished on this website.

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