Gates and Donald: A Look Back at the Young Hollywood Couple's Relationship Milestones
Before their separation in 2025, Phoebe Gates and Arthur Donald consistently championed each other through significant milestones during their relationship.
"My boyfriend, Arthur, giving me a lift post-ceremony,” Gates wrote as a caption for a June 2024 photo feature in Nylon documenting her Stanford University commencement.
The image showed Donald affectionately carrying Phoebe on his back following the event.
“I couldn’t imagine a more perfect conclusion,” she enthusiastically told the publication regarding her graduation. “It marks the close of one chapter and the start of a new one, and it was an immense honor to share this celebratory moment with our loved ones.”
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Phoebe is the youngest offspring of Bill Gates and Melinda French Gates, who ended their 27-year marriage in 2021. The Microsoft co-founder and Melinda are also parents to daughter Jennifer and son Rory.
Arthur comes from a lineage of similar renown, being the eldest son of former couple Mary McCartney and Alistair Donald, who are also parents to Eliot. Mary is one of Paul McCartney’s five children. The iconic Beatles musician has children Heather, Mary, Stella, and James with his late wife Linda Eastman, and daughter Beatrice with his ex-wife Heather Mills.
Phoebe and Arthur’s lives intersected well before they began their romantic relationship in 2023.
“My mom and [Stella McCartney] are actually close friends,” Phoebe informed Women’s Wear Daily in October 2022, referencing one of Arthur’s maternal aunts. “Even as a child, she would send me items and small messages, which thrilled me. I had constantly been requesting my mom to arrange a meeting with her.”
Continue below for a full chronological overview of Phoebe and Arthur’s relationship:
October 2022
Prior to Phoebe and Arthur commencing their relationship, she openly expressed admiration for his aunt Stella.
“I felt a strong bond with her, I believe because she’s managed to utilize the platform afforded to her by her father’s identity, and rather than letting people define her by it, she embraced it, saying, ‘Alright, I possess this considerable advantage, and I’m going to use it to create an impact,’” Phoebe recounted to WWD, adding that she had met the designer the summer before.
She further explained, “What [Stella] opted to leverage was establishing a brand entirely committed to sustainability. I believe our connection runs deep because that resonates closely with my own thoughts: ‘Yes, I am my parents’ daughter, which grants me significant privilege, but it doesn’t define me. I aspire to forge my own identity, to be an individual, to diverge from that path, but how can I achieve this in a manner that produces some form of positive change?’”
October 2023
A year on, Phoebe and Arthur — whose social media presence is private — made their initial appearance together on her Instagram feed.
“Paris on film ,” she wrote beneath an image of the duo in France.
Sophia Kianni, a fellow activist, referred to the couple as “Mom and Dad” in a comment posted on Instagram.
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March 2024
During an interview with Bustle, Phoebe chose not to discuss her relationship with Arthur but did share some insights into her non-negotiables in dating.
“Should I have a partner who disregarded my personal liberties or the liberties of women nationwide to make choices for ourselves and our families, I am certain that would constitute a deal-breaker,” she stated.
April 2024
Within a spring Instagram photo collection, Arthur appeared several times. One photograph showed Phoebe strolling behind him in a garden. She also captured an unposed picture of Arthur preparing food while wearing a white bathrobe.
June 2024
“Graduated,” Phoebe posted on Instagram, accompanying an image of Arthur carrying her on his back.
September 2025
Reports surfaced that Phoebe and Arthur had ended their two-year relationship. Concurrently, she implied on her “Burnouts” podcast that she had moved forward.
“I’m currently seeing someone who genuinely doesn’t use Instagram,” Phoebe shared. “He removes it, and it’s fantastic. It’s truly the best, and this is an entirely novel experience for me. I’ve never been involved with anyone like him.”
