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Kate Middleton Reportedly Holds Private Meeting With Melinda Gates at Windsor Castle Amid Recent Drama

Kate Middleton and Melinda Gates reportedly came together at Windsor Castle over a shared passion for a cause they both support.

Historically, the royal orbit has seen a steady stream of big names from business, politics, entertainment, sports, and science. However, after the fallout of the Jeffrey Epstein scandal opened a massive can of worms, that inner circle tightened considerably, and several high-profile figures found themselves dropped from royal guest lists. One such individual was Bill Gates, who is currently among the list of people appearing before Congress for his connection to the disgraced financier. Yet, while Buckingham Palace has allegedly kept its distance from the Microsoft co-founder, the same doesn't apply to his former wife, Melinda French Gates. New reports suggest that the 61-year-old had a private meeting with Kate Middleton at Windsor Castle on Tuesday. 

As per the Daily Mail editor Richard Eden, Melinda had reportedly met with the Princess of Wales as the founder of Pivotal, a philanthropic organisation promoting women’s empowerment. So, while it is unclear what the two of them discussed during their private talks, it is being suggested that charitable endeavours may have been the subject at hand. As the patron of the Royal Foundation, Middleton is involved in various humanitarian works. 

‘Women’s health and well-being’ is one of the special initiatives that Pivotal undertakes. The organization works towards expanding access to reproductive care, integrating mental health into maternal care, improving menopause care, and catalysing funding in women’s health research. The Princess of Wales has been an advocate for mental health and the NHS.

While Melinda was allegedly taking her charitable work ahead, her former husband appeared before the House Oversight Committee earlier this month to testify regarding his connection to Epstein. While the testimony had taken place behind closed doors, the transcripts were released this week and revealed some shocking facts. He had reportedly had three extramarital affairs with a bridge player, a nuclear physicist, and a medical entrepreneur. 

For the unversed, Melinda and Bill divorced in 2021 after being married for 27 years. During an appearance on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert last year, she revealed that to have a “trusted relationship”, which was what she “wanted in marriage," that means "both partners have to be honest with one another”. She added, “And if you can't, you can't have intimacy, and you can't have trust. So in the end, I had to go.”