The Princess of Wales has met with Melinda French Gates a couple of times in the past year. I always thought those meetings would probably amount to nothing, mostly because Prince William and Kate tend to do just that. They’ll have a meeting with someone famous or rich or American and that’s about it. I mean, one time they met with Tim Cook and he gave them new iPhones, so I guess William and Kate enjoy some gifts with their random meetings. But I digress, back to Melinda, who walked away from Bill Gates with a reported $25 billion divorce settlement. Melinda has used that settlement to invest in charities and political causes (she avoided starting her own superPAC though). Melinda also founded Pivotal, which seeks to expand progress for women and youths. Well, after Melinda and Princess Kate met a few times, they’re now in discussions to maybe do something together, or maybe Kate will be keen about Pivotal??

The Princess of Wales met with Bill Gates’ ex-wife and philanthropist, Melinda French, on 8 October to discuss a “shared belief”.

During their meeting, Catherine spoke to Melinda, the founder of Pivotal, a group of organisations focused on accelerating social progress and expanding opportunities for women and young people, about collaborating with The Royal Foundation to help young people flourish.

The Princess of Wales’ philanthropic work in recent years has focused heavily on early childhood and youth development with the launch of The Royal Foundation for Early Childhood in 2021 as part of the Royal Foundation.

Christian Guy, Executive Director of The Royal Foundation for Early Childhood, reflected on the importance of helping young people “build the foundations for life”.

“Building on the work of Heads Together, The Centre for Early Childhood, Pivotal’s focus in the United States and the efforts of many others across the field, we considered what more could be done to strengthen young people’s wellbeing, belonging and ability to thrive throughout life.”

He added: “What gave the session particular energy was a shared belief that while today’s children face considerable challenges, they also carry extraordinary potential. With supportive relationships, a sense of belonging and opportunities to discover who they are and what they might contribute, every young person can build the confidence, resilience and sense of purpose they need for the future.

“We are so grateful for the vision, ambition and commitment that both The Princess and Melinda bring to this work. Their leadership reflects a belief that change is possible, and that investing in the healthy development of children and young people is one of the most powerful investments we can make for our world today and tomorrow.”

“Over the coming months, partnering with Melinda and Pivotal, we will be exploring how The Royal Foundation might build on this work in practical ways,” he continued. “At a time of division, disconnection and uncertainty, it has never been more important to help young people build the foundations for life.”

[From Hello]

Just so we’re clear, nothing is being announced, nothing is being founded, and Melinda isn’t throwing any money at Kate’s busywork scheme. This is just some gaudy, over-the-top language to suggest that both women are thinking about maybe doing something together. Here’s the thing – Melinda is a smart woman who is used to working with tangible goals, quantitative metrics and actual boots-on-the-ground. The old Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did an enormous amount of good in the world and that was partially because of Melinda and her drive and her interests. Now, that being said, it’s clear that William and Kate have backers with deep pockets, backers who are fine with throwing money at Will and Kate’s self-centered, half-assed busywork. You know how Michael Bloomberg finances a lot of William’s dumb ego trips? Melinda could do the same for Kate.

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images.