Bill Gates wears wedding ring at first public event since announcing divorce from Melinda

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Bill Gates was still sporting his wedding ring at his first public appearance since announcing his divorce from Melinda Gates. 

The Microsoft co-founder appeared at a virtual global forum with the U.S. Chamber of Commerce on Wednesday where he spoke at length about climate change and the difficult road ahead for America in recovering from the impact of the coronavirus. 

While he did not discuss his personal life, many were able to infer a bit about his mindset given that he still appeared to be wearing his wedding ring during his address. 

The choice isn’t all that odd given that Bill and Melinda are still technically married. However, the billionaires announced they're divorcing on May 3, bringing an end to their marriage of 27 years. Although they’re still hammering out how to split up their vast assets and business ties before they can officially finalize the split, it is believed that they had been separated for a time prior to the announcement. 

BILL AND MELINDA GATES STARTED AS WORKPLACE ROMANCE THAT TURNED INTO 27 YEARS OF MARRIAGE

The Microsoft founder beamed into a conference Wednesday for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce -- where he got on camera at one point to make some remarks. It's one of the first times we've seen Bill since he and Melinda announced their split.  (U.S. Chamber of Commerce/YouTube)

Although he’s still married, Bill's decision to sport his ring at all may come as a surprise to some given that the couple, who shares three children, are splitting up amid reports that Bill would routinely womanize despite being married to Melinda. She was also reportedly upset with her husband’s past association with convicted sex offender and late financier Jeffrey Epstein. 

It’s unclear how much bad blood there is between the two, though, given that they plan to continue to be involved together in their philanthropic Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation despite their marriage coming to an end.

The former couple said their decision to divorce came after a "great deal of thought and a lot of work on our relationship."

"Over the last 27 years, we have raised three incredible children and built a foundation that works all over the world to enable all people to lead healthy, productive lives," their statement shared to Twitter read.

BILL AND MELINDA GATES' DAUGHTER JENNIFER CALLS THEIR DIVORCE 'A CHALLENGING STRETCH OF TIME'

Bill and Melinda Gates announced the end of their 27-year marriage.  (Frederic Stevens/Getty Images)

"We continue to share a belief in that mission and will continue our work together at the foundation," it continued.

Several reports revealed that it was Melinda who pulled the trigger on the divorce from the Microsoft co-founder and in her official court filing, indicated that the two had already set a separation agreement in place.

Although he didn’t discuss his divorce at the event, Bill had plenty to say about the coronavirus pandemic and the innovations that led to the vaccines arriving so quickly. 

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"The innovation, particularly on vaccines, was faster than ever. Even faster than people like Dr. Fauci and myself led people to expect," said the billionaire. "So, within a year of seeing the virus and seeing its sequence, several companies starting with Pfizer and Moderna had vaccines that have proven to be incredibly effective."

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He noted that the country needs to get its vaccination rate up to 80% in order to avoid seeing "significant pockets of disease."

Fox News' Julius Young contributed to this report.