Despite now dating Paul McCartney’s grandson, Arthur Donald, Phoebe Gates said she didn’t know a lot of music before meeting him.
“I mean my family, like, we’re so nerdy, so I knew nothing about music,” Phoebe, 22, who is the daughter of Bill Gates, said on a Wednesday, April 30, episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast. “Like I knew about tech stuff growing up, not music stuff.”
Phoebe went on to explain that when she first started dating Donald, 26, he was “excited” because “he thought he was gonna rizz” her with his industry connections.
“He took me to an Elton John concert and Elton John comes out in like a bedazzled tracksuit,” she recalled to host Alex Cooper. “I’m like, ‘Is Elton John gay?’ His entire family starts dying laughing and now we’ve been dating almost two years. Every time I see them they’re like, ‘Oh, is Elton John gay?’”
While Donald is related to one of the greatest musicians of all time, Phoebe noted that he “does not have any musical talent” himself.
“I’ve been trying to get him to serenade me for a very long time, but it has not happened,” she joked.
Phoebe first sparked dating rumors with Donald in October 2023 after they went on a European vacation together.
“Paris on film 💙,” she wrote via Instagram alongside a photo of the couple on a balcony overlooking the Eiffel Tower.
Less than one year later, Phoebe confirmed her romance with Donald while celebrating her college graduation.
“My boyfriend, Arthur, giving me a lift post-ceremony,” she captioned a photo diary for Nylon in June 2024.
While the twosome have mostly kept their relationship private, Phoebe does occasionally mention him in interviews.
In a Thursday, April 24, The New York Times profile, the outlet reported that Phoebe said that Donald “hates” a painting of a pink cassette tape that she previously picked up at a market for $20.
According to Phoebe, Donald always “takes the painting off the wall” and now they are attempting to find a replacement to hang up instead.
Aside from her relationship with Donald, Phoebe is also focused on their startup, Phia, a new online fashion platform, which just launched last week. Phoebe started the company with her friend and former Stanford roommate Sophia Kianni.
“Sophia and I are first-time founders, and learning as we go,” Phoebe told People in November 2024. “With Phia’s beta, we’re building with our customers, so we can deliver a product that ultimately makes them the smartest shoppers in the room.”
