I often think how unlucky I've been to not be born to rich parents. When my alarm goes off at 5am, for example. My parents choosing to selfishly give birth to me and then not having enough money to support me for the rest of my life is probably one of the main reasons I'm such a moaning bastard.
If only I could have been born to a couple of billionaires, like, I don't know, Bill and Melinda Gates. Yeah, that would be nice. Except, oh no, wait, Bill has come out and said he's not leaving his kids his £70 billion fortune when he dies. Right.
Billy is such a thoroughly nice chap (unless you ask his kids) that he wants to donate the majority of his wealth to help the 'world's poorest'. He also said his children are proud of him for making this decision. Sure.
Bill and Melinda have three heirs, 20-year-old Jennifer, 17-year-old Rory and Phoebe, who is 14. He said, rather than throwing money at his offspring, he's given the gift of a great education, so they can kick-start their own careers. So, let's get this straight: no billion-dollar trust fund AND years of school? You can almost hear the three of them shouting, 'thanks, Dad' can't you?
He did, however, add that there would be a financial safety-net in place for them, saying they will never 'be poorly off'. I'd be on that safety-net ASAP.
Daughter Jennifer attends Stanford University, where Bill donated £5 million towards a computer science building in his name. I can only imagine the 'your Da' jokes that poor girl has to put up with...
Speaking on This Morning on ITV, Bill opened up about his family life, as well as talking about his Foundation, which funds health and educational projects around the world.
The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) is the largest private foundation in the world and, since opening in 2000, has donated well over $44.3 billion. And, as of May 2013, Bill had donated $28 billion of that out of his own back pocket. Fair play. And when he pops his clogs it's set to get another massive boost.
Among the good causes the BMGF supports is malaria control, basic sanitation, infectious diseases control and family planning - it works globally.
Happy birthday, Bill, you lovely, lovely man.
Featured image credit: PA
Featured Image Credit:Topics: Charity, bill gates