Bill Gates considers his divorce from Melinda French Gates to be the biggest “regret” of his life. The billionaire Microsoft co-founder, 69, lamented the demise of his 27-year marriage in a new interview with The Times of London. “That was the mistake I most regret,” he said of their unraveling relationship. “You would have to put that at the top of the list. There are other [failures] but none that matter. The divorce was miserable for me and Melinda for at least two years.” The former spouses — who married on New Year’s Day in 1994 and finalized their divorce in 2021 — “still see each other” as they share three kids: daughters Jennifer, 28, and Phoebe, 22, as well as 25-year-old son Rory. They also share two grandchildren, “so there are family events,” Gates said, adding, “The kids are doing well. They have good values.” Gates “absolutely” wanted his relationship to stand the test of time, as it did with his parents’ 45-year marriage. But although they “had a great time,” Gates admitted his wife “saw [him] through a lot” while also taking on a much larger role than he did in caring for their family. In May of last year, Melinda chose to resign from her position as co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, saying the time had come for her to move on the next chapter of her philanthropy. The decision came three years after their divorce agreement was revealed to include a contingency plan for the foundation, which stated she would resign if “either decides they cannot continue to work together as co-chairs.” “When we got divorced it was tough and then she made the decision to leave the foundation,” Bill told The Time. “I was disappointed that she took the option to go off.” The billionaire is now in a relationship with Paula Hurd, the widow of Oracle CEO Mark Hurd. Meanwhile, Melinda is said to be dating entrepreneur Philip Vaughn, the founder of craft beer delivery company Tavour.