Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe and Sir Paul McCartney’s grandson Arthur Donald looked more loved-up than ever as they made a rare public appearance together over the weekend.

The young couple, who boast family ties to tech and rock ‘n’ roll royalty, were seen cosying up at a glitzy party in California – with Phoebe, 22, sharing a rare snap of them on her Instagram stories, captioned with two big blue love hearts.

The lovebirds began dating in mid-2023 – shortly after Phoebe ended her relationship with fellow Stanford student Robert Ross.

They appeared smitten as they posed together with Phoebe staring lovingly at her beau, hand on his chest.

The youngest daughter of Microsoft founder Bill and philanthropist Melinda French Gates looked chic in a £2,400 Chloe sleeveless nude mini dress.

While Arthur, 26 – son of photographer Mary McCartney and film director Alistair Donald, and grandson of Beatles legend Sir Paul – kept it casual in a beige jumper and black trousers.

Bill Gates ‘ daughter Phoebe and Sir Paul McCartney’s grandson Arthur Donald looked more loved-up than ever as they made a rare public appearance together over the weekend

The lovebirds began dating in mid-2023 – shortly after Phoebe ended her relationship with fellow Stanford student Robert Ross (seen earlier this year)  

Their blossoming romance comes as Phoebe continues to make waves in her own right, both in business and beyond.

Having graduated early from Stanford last year with a degree in Human Biology, the ambitious brunette recently launched her own e-commerce startup app, Phia, alongside her former college roommate, activist Sophia Kianni.

Despite her billionaire background, Phoebe has admitted that forging a career hasn’t come without challenges – particularly in facing outdated attitudes toward women in business.

Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast last week, she revealed: ‘We’ll have investors ask us all the time, ‘Well, what happens when you two go have babies?’ And I remember one time crying about that. 

‘I called my mom, and she was like, ‘Get up or get out the game, sis.’ I was like, damn.’

Meanwhile, her famous father, Bill Gates – worth an estimated $113 billion – has spoken candidly about his desire not to simply bankroll his children’s ventures.

The 69-year-old, who has vowed to leave just one percent of his fortune to his three children, told The New York Times he was worried Phoebe might come asking for startup funds.

‘Oh boy, she’s going to come and ask,’ he recalled. ‘And then I would have kept her on a short leash and be doing business reviews, which I would have found tricky, and I probably would have been overly nice but wondered if it was the right thing to do?

Seen together last September

Their blossoming romance comes as Phoebe continues to make waves in her own right, both in business and beyond 

Arthur, who graduated from Yale University in 2021 with a major in history, is the elder son of photographer Mary McCartney. Pictured in May last year with his aunt Stella, left, and his now girlfriend Phoebe, right

‘Luckily, it never happened.’

Arthur, whose grandfather last year became Britain’s first billionaire musician, has also kept a relatively low profile, despite his iconic lineage.

He attended £31,000-per-year University College School in North London before enrolling at Yale University to study history. 

Graduating in 2021, he worked as an analyst at Beehouse and Goldman Sachs before joining US investment management firm, Iconiq Capital, in San Francisco.

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Inside the love story between Bill Gates’ daughter Phoebe and Paul McCartney’s grandson Arthur – thanks to families’ long friendship

Phoebe’s father Bill has been friends with Sir Paul since the early noughties and reportedly supported The Beatles star during his messy divorce from ex-wife Heather Mills. 

Meanwhile, Paul’s daughter Stella, 52, became close to Bill’s ex wife Melinda and has been mentoring Phoebe in her fashion career.

Phoebe, 21, and Arthur, 25, first made headlines back in October 2023 when she took to Instagram with a snapshot of the pair in Paris.

The duo also attended the premiere of Feud: Capote vs Swans a short time later – but Phoebe then declined to comment on her relationship status when interviewed by Bustle.

But she has now officially confirmed the romance – openly referring to Arthur as her ‘boyfriend’ while documenting her Stanford graduation in an online blog for Nylon.

Arthur’s grandfather, Sir Paul, is thought to have struck up a friendship with Phoebe’s father as far back as at least the early 2000s.

The duo are pictured chatting to one another at a 2005 book launch, and that same year Bill was reportedly part of Paul’s ‘entourage’ amid his messy divorce from Heather Mills.

As reported by the Guardian, the musician released a selection of quotes from a world tour DVD which saw Bill compare his friend to Bach as he sings his praises.

Bill is also a fan and supporter of Paul’s music. When asked about what song he would use to describe his relationship with the late Steve Jobs – the founder of Apple, Microsoft’s main competitor – on the BBC’s Desert Island Discs show, Bill used a Beatles track titled Two Of Us, from their Let It Be album. 

His blog – GatesNotes – last year also featured the Beatles’ track Hey Jude in its summer playlist. 

And it seems the connection travelled down generationally, because Paul’s daughter Stella became close to Bill’s ex wife Melinda.

Phoebe and Arthur are pictured in 2023 (seen with a friend)

Arthur’s grandfather, Sir Paul, is thought to have struck up a friendship with Phoebe’s father as far back as at least the early 2000s 

‘Her and my mom are actually good friends,’ Phoebe – who has co-founded upcoming digital fashion firm, Phia – told a WWD interview in 2022. ‘Even when I was little she would send me stuff and little notes and I’d be so excited. I’ve been asking my mom forever and ever if I could meet with her.’

Stella and Phoebe, have since become close, bonding over their very famous fathers, and wanting to be in the same industry.

‘I felt very connected to her, I feel like because she’s been able to use the platform she had, because of who her dad is, and then she took that and instead of being like, “Oh, people define me by this,” she took it and she was like, “OK, I have this immense privilege, now I’m going to use it to leverage something”,’ she added.

‘And what she chose to leverage is to launch a brand that is completely sustainable.’

Designer Stella has acted as a mentor to Phoebe, and even invited her to her first Paris Fashion Week trip, according to the outlet.

Phoebe has also praised Stella’s commitment to sustainability, which she is also passionate about, along with activist and Phia co-founder Sophia Kianni.