Melinda French Gates and her new boyfriend, Philip Vaughn, enjoyed a romantic evening out in New York City shortly after publicly revealing their relationship.
The former wife of billionaire Bill Gates appeared happy as she and Vaughn headed to dinner at Le Bernardin in Midtown Manhattan on Wednesday, according to Page Six. The couple was seen taking an SUV to the French restaurant, with Vaughn helping Melinda into the vehicle. Upon arrival, they walked hand-in-hand, sharing light conversation.
Melinda, 60, looked elegant in a black maxi dress paired with a silver necklace, while Vaughn chose a black suit and white button-up shirt for the occasion.
Their date night followed just hours after they made their relationship official, arriving in New York City via helicopter earlier that morning. Exclusive photos obtained by Page Six showed the philanthropist holding hands with Vaughn as they approached their SUV.
According to Vaughn’s LinkedIn profile, he worked at Microsoft, the company co-founded by Melinda’s ex-husband Bill Gates, for nearly nine years, from 1999 to 2008. He is now the founder and chairman of Tavour, a craft beer delivery service he launched in 2011.
This new relationship comes three years after Melinda finalized her divorce from Bill, 69, ending their 27-year marriage. Melinda has previously spoken about her split, noting that Bill’s connections with convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein were among the “many things” that contributed to their separation.
In a 2022 interview with CBS Mornings host Gayle King, she stated, “I expressed my disapproval about his meetings with Jeffrey Epstein. I made that very clear to him.” Melinda admitted to meeting Epstein “exactly one time” out of curiosity, but she regretted it immediately. “He was abhorrent. He was evil personified. My heart breaks for these women,” she said, referring to Epstein, who died by suicide in prison in 2019.
She also mentioned Bill’s alleged affair with a Microsoft employee in 2019 as another factor in their divorce.
