Bill Gates shared his first photo with his first grandchild: 'I can't wait to watch you discover the world'

• New grandfather Bill Gates shared his first photo with his grandchild on Instagram.
• "I can't wait to watch you discover the world," the Microsoft cofounder wrote in the caption.
• His daughter Jennifer, who he had with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, welcomed her child in March.

Bill Gates says he "can't wait to watch" his first grandchild "discover the world," in his first publicly shared photo with the baby on Instagram.

Gates became a grandfather in March when his daughter with ex-wife Melinda French Gates, Jennifer Gates, gave birth to her first child with equestrian Nayel Nassar.

Gates and Nassar married in October 2021, and announced in November that they were expecting their first child. The couple reportedly bought a $51 million penthouse recently in New York City's Tribeca neighborhood. 

First-time grandmother French Gates also shared her first posted photo with her grandchild. The photos posted by each of the grandparents were published around the same time, but it's not clear if they were taken during the same or a separate visit.

"There is nothing quite like holding your first grandchild," French Gates wrote on her Instagram post with a smiling emoji surrounded by hearts. "It seems like just yesterday I was holding Jenn at this age. Now she has a baby of her own—and I am bursting with pride watching her and Nayel step into their new role as parents."

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

In December, Gates wrote on his blog, GatesNotes, that he "started looking at the world through a new lens recently—when my older daughter gave me the incredible news that I'll become a grandfather next year." 

"Simply typing that phrase, 'I'll become a grandfather next year,' makes me emotional," Gates wrote. "And the thought gives a new dimension to my work. When I think about the world my grandchild will be born into, I'm more inspired than ever to help everyone's children and grandchildren have a chance to survive and thrive."