The Princess of Wales hasn’t been seen in more than a week, since she attended Ascot on June 17th. It occurred to me that her relatively light schedule in recent months is one big pout because she didn’t get her way on Prince George’s school. It’s also likely that she’s pouting in advance of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex’s mid-July visit too. In any case, it’s pretty rare these days to hear about Kate doing any work, especially when it’s a “private meeting.” But the Mail’s Richard Eden got an interesting tip – apparently, Kate hosted Melinda French Gates at Windsor Castle on Tuesday.
Bill Gates was once a regular at royal events, but the Microsoft founder’s friendship with the late sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has made him almost as toxic as Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
Bill’s ex-wife Melinda French Gates, who divorced her unfaithful husband after he maintained contact with Epstein, is, however, still welcome at the palace.
To prove it, the Princess of Wales invited her to Windsor Castle on Tuesday for private talks. It’s not known what she discussed with Royal Foundation patron Catherine, 44, but Melinda, 61, met her in her role as founder of Pivotal, a philanthropic organisation promoting women’s empowerment.
Gates told the US Congress House Oversight Committee this week that he had affairs with two Russian women, a bridge player and a nuclear physicist. The 70-year-old also admitted a third affair with a medical entrepreneur.
Love the mention of Melinda’s unfaithful ex-husband. As we’ve heard many times over the years, it seems like Melinda and Kate have both dealt with similar situations. And both of their husbands have connections to Jeffrey Epstein too, weird! It’s just a reminder that Melinda got the hell out of her marriage and she’s been so much happier ever since. Kate is what’s known as a “bitter-ender” though. Now, do we believe that Melinda is going to help fund one of Kate’s Early Years busywork projects? I hope not. All of Kate’s work is such a huge waste of time and resources. I expect that a bright woman like Melinda would see that.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images, Avalon Red.
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- Ascot, UK. 17 June, 2026. Catherine, Princess of Wales attends Day 2 of Royal Ascot at Ascot Racecourse.,Image: 1110773494, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: , Model Release: no , Credit line: Bart Lenoir/Avalon
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- Melinda Gates is all smiles as she is spotted arriving at the ‘Good Morning America’ Studios in New York City Featuring: Melinda Gates Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 14 Apr 2025 Credit: Elder Ordonez/INSTARimages
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- Melinda Gates is all smiles as she is spotted arriving at the ‘Good Morning America’ Studios in New York City Featuring: Melinda Gates Where: New York City, New York, United States When: 14 Apr 2025 Credit: Elder Ordonez/INSTARimages
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- Royals attend day two of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse Featuring: Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Ascot, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- Royals attend day two of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse Featuring: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Ascot, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- Royals attend day two of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse Featuring: William, Prince of Wales, Catherine, Princess of Wales Where: Ascot, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images
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- Royals attend day two of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: Ascot, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
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- Royals attend day two of Royal Ascot 2026 at Ascot Racecourse Featuring: Catherine, Princess Of Wales Where: Ascot, United Kingdom When: 17 Jun 2026 Credit: Cover Images **NOT AVAILABLE FOR HELLO MAGAZINE**
All because Meghan has engaged with this philanthropist. Nothing will be gained from this meet up, just optics. W hat Melanie French Gates represent, women empowerment, funding HBCU’s does not mesh with a colonizers mind view.
I cannot imagine what they would discuss as Kate has nothing to say – nothing to draw from, sadly.
I believe that Kate just greeted her and the rest of the conversation was done with an employee. They had to add something to her numbers of events since she hasn’t done anything for more than 10 days.
They can talk about Epstein something their husbands have in common.
Hope Melinda will be able to talk in toddler language for Waity to understand her.
@sunniside up except Melinda left her husband because of his association Waity and the royals protect the ones who have Epstein associations
I cannot imagine a one-on-one conversation with Kate! Torture! ‘Hot enough for you? Um, this tea is lovely, is it oolong? Well, my car is so I guess I must be going.’
Melinda needs to set up a fund where genuine experts and scholars can get research money
She did. It’s called Pivotal. She has committed over $600 million over two years to women’s health and pledged > $1 billion to global empowerment projects. (it has philanthropic arms as well as investment & venture capital)
And this, folks, is how you billionaire.
Wasn’t Bill Gates at the Trump state dinner? I could have sworn I saw photos of him at the state dinner where Kate was the happiest she’s ever been at a state visit.
Yes, he was. That state dinner was very interesting. Kate and Will were on Cloud 9 during that Trump visit.
Like attracts like, I guess. Can you imagine Cannot having a deep meaningful conversation with Melania? They could talk about shopping and renovating their various properties.
Haven’t they met before? Or did she meet with MacKenzie Scott before? Either way I feel like they’re probably just soliciting donations for the Royal Foundation. I’ve come to realize that regardless of how knowledgeable we all are about the shadiness and shenanigans of that family, and specifically the Wales’s, a lot of people pay zero attention to the tabloids ( probably because of their own experiences).
So they still buy the sweet happy family narrative, and think the stuff with Harry and Meghan is just family stuff and not institutional rot.
@Dee, ITA, and it’s disheartening. With this much money on the line, I’d think that people like Melinda would have assistants who would do a lot of research and due diligence for her, and would have been able to report that Kate’s whole Aarly Years thing is one big excuse for photo ops, and that Kate does nothing but nonsense busywork.
I think the Wales’ Royal Foundation is more a money laundering operation and/or some way to fund their opulent lifestyle rather than an actual grant-making institution. I would hope Melinda Gates has more smarts than to throw any money down that pit.
The foundation’s “team” lists 8 director positions, plus a CEO and a Chief of Staff. And if you can figure out what all those people do besides get paid a salary, you’re better than me.
Speaking of, Amanda Berry, former BAFTA head who became CEO of the foundation, IIRC replacing Jason, is no longer there. Looks like she left a few months ago.
So do I believe Melinda will donate money to Kate or the Royal foundation or early years or whatever? Yeah, I think likely. You don’t get invited for tea for nothing. Anyways, Kate is conserving her energy bc I’m gonna guess she is going to be scheduling a whole lot of events during the Sussex visit. Poor poppet will be working herself to the bone. She might even attend multiple women’s matches at Wimbledon this year. She’s gonna be out during that visit, trust.
You just know she WILL come out if Serena and Venus’ rounds continue during the time of H&M’s visit. The doubles’ matches start on July 3rd, I believe, so it’s possible…? If she gets a whiff that M will show up for her friend, you *know* Keen will show in her loudest “finery” and a late entrance to pull attention.
Waity Pull attention from The Duchess?
Let’s compare the number of articles shall we? lol
Oh dang. I bet she does go to that match 😂😂😂
Be amusing if Meghan turned up with Serena Williams.
I agree that Melinda would throw a bit of coin Kate’s way but I’m dying to know what they discussed! Melinda talking about empowering women and Kate chiming in with “you know, I found spreading lies about my SIL personally empowering, have you seen my popularity poll numbers?!”.
LMAO! 🙂
Cute, but Kate doesn’t speak in complete sentences.
It’s saddens me to see Melinda waste her time and lend legitimacy to such a Lazy hypocritical racist
💯😞
I think a lot of celebrities (not sure Melinda is a celebrity, more like a philanthropist) really understand the machinations of the royal family. They are unaware of what they did to Meghan and only see that rosy fairy tale side. Including that the royals do “philanthropy”. Not one penny from their pocket. Just dressing nice, shaking hands, fake small talk.
Did Richard Eden get a tip or did he see the meeting in the court circular let the rest of the royal stans? They were talking about this meet up the day before Eden wrote his piece. As for Kate’s schedule, I think it’s possible that she will spend a day at Wimbledon next week before the final weekend. I’m guessing she will be there on Tuesday for Ladies Day.
KKKate is absolutely uninterested in the women’s matches! She only attends the men’s matches..
Kate looks really unhappy in the last photo, wonder what is wrong.
Probably nothing more complicated than ” My feet hurt.”
LOL, it looks to me like she’s just trying to pose for the camera and it went all wonky. My gosh, she doesn’t even look like herself anymore!
My personal theory is that Kate got the message that people think she’s demented or drugged when she goes around gurning, waving her hands, and popping her eyes. So what we’re seeing is her resting face or an attempt at closed-mouth smiles. And in that respect, it’s an improvement IMO.
I just saw a clip of Kate chatting to this man at Ascot, handsome enough, smiling away well Carol came over, said something to Kate, gave the man a filthy side eyed look, didn’t even acknowledge him and moved Kate away.and out the door of the stand, v v interesting!
Love to know what’s going on.
Oh, to be a fly in the wall! Any conversation about philanthropy would have been brief from Kate’s end. So that would leave them plenty of time to spill the tea (pun intended!) about their abysmal husbands.
This is like Pippa naming her daughter Rose, this is just an ornate gambit to scramble up SEO and force Kate and her shady past next to Melinda Gates’ name instead of Branson or Andrew in the internet searches.
Interesting is this going to be an annual thing then ? just went through CB archives and they had a visit almost to the day last year. I hate this timeline we are on where people you put on pedastals fall hard from grace the way her Husband did. I would almost say Melinda is a better fit with Kate since they both have dubious husbands.
Maybe she was getting advice on divorcing a billionaire?
Okay, Jensa. You win best comment of the day. 🫡
Melinda’s work with Pivotal Ventures is 1000000x whatever Kate’s being doing with her zero-impact early years whatever project.
Melinda’s doing her a huge favour by even having a meeting with her.
Poor Melinda. It would be exhausting to try to have a substantive conversation with Kate, who’s such an empty vessel.
I’ll be honest: I know Kate is vapid and mean-spirited and generally deplorable, and yet — yet — I saw this article and a hope leapt up in my heart that Melinda is giving her wise counsel and practical tips on how to ditch her husband and the whole BRF. Girl, leap, you will land someplace better. You will find allies. Even amongst people in the Sussex squad, fwiw, I think those people — being compassionate and principled — would actually be the first to applaud any bid for an exit.
That’s correct. If Billy cheated and abused her, we would all support her. Pretty sure she’d have a happier, more authentic life. The kids are growing and will be in boarding schools. She’ll be a millionaire and have a more normal life like many rich women do.
Kate is not Diana, and it’s almost thirty years later, but seriously, would Kate be safe if she divorced William?
On top of being a very privileged, entitled person, there is that issue he has with anger, especially when he does not get his way.
And her mother would never forgive her! That title she’s waited decades for is far more important to her than Kate’s happiness ever was!
Melinda is wasting her time visiting the British Melania Trump.
Only the prestige of the title has Melinda visiting because she’s American and doesn’t really know how shallow and useless Kate happens to be. She should have given Jill Biden a call before the visit.
Kate is a parasite taking from the public. She doesn’t give and anything that looks charitable is PR.
What a stupid article, what stupid writers the Daily Fail has. Why on earth would Kate have to ‘prove’ that Melinda Gates is ‘still welcome’ at Windsor Castle?! That’s just dumb!!! Dumb with a ‘b’!!!!!
I wonder if Kate asked Melinda for a trust fund or to borrow some money? I would not put it past Kate, especially if Will is tightening the purse strings.
Erm … I wonder how, um, sort of – do you, um, sort of have – I mean, did you sort of, that will go?