Jennifer Gates and Nayel Nassar’s love story is one that is rarely witnessed these days. The best part is that horses play a major role in bringing their union together. At the age of six, Jennifer witnessed horse riding for the first time. She was fascinated by it and wanted to explore the field. Her parents had perpetually supported her dreams, so finding solace in it was easy. Thus, she decided that equestrian was her calling. She started learning with a pony but soon shifted to professional training at the age of eight. She never looked back again. But she also has solidarity in the form of her partner, who’s been her ride or die for many years now.

Nayel Nassar, on the other hand, was born to Fouad Nassar and Iman Harbu in Chicago. They owned a huge Kuwaiti architectural firm and could also afford their son’s passion for horses. After Nayel’s birth, they moved to Kuwait, where he spent most of his formative years. He returned to the United States in 2009. Like Jennifer, he started riding at the young age of five, which is also another common thread that brought them together. He enrolled at Stanford University for his undergraduate degree. This is where his fate would intertwine for the Microsoft founder’s daughter.

The beautiful love story of Nayel Nassar and Jennifer Gates

The daughter of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, Jennifer Gates, started dating Nassar in 2017. She met him when she was 18, right before she started her study at Stanford. Nassar had just graduated, and they were competing in a horse show against each other. Jennifer recalled that the event was the only one in which she defeated her husband. Nassar would then help and support her during her early days at Stanford. She admitted that at that time, she considered him her role model and always looked up at him. They were friends for a couple of years before realizing it had the potential to be something else.

Four years after this event, the couple would start dating. Nassar announced it after posting a picture of the both of them having dinner during Valentine’s Day. Post that, the couple have never been shy to show each other off in their social media handles. There are numerous posts of them wishing each other during their birthdays and anniversaries. These posts are solid proof that the couple are going as strong as ever. The couple got engaged in 2021, which was announced in another lovely Instagram post by Jennifer.

In the post, Jennifer proclaimed her love for him and called him ‘one of a kind’. She then narrated how she was surprised during his proposal. They had gone on a ski trip, which is one of their shared passions. She revealed that it was one of the most meaningful locations for them and she did not hesitate for a second before accepting his proposal. Addressing Nassar in the post, she said, “I can’t wait to spend the rest of our lives learning, growing, laughing and loving together. Yes a million times over.”. The couple got married on 16th October, 2021 in New York. They had their first daughter last year on the fourth of March.

Both Nassar and Gates share a deep passion for equestrian sports

As the couple both started equestrian in a very young age, professional careers were bound to follow had they trained well and justified their love for the sport. And they did. Both of them are even erudite in their own right, but with varying degrees of success. Jenn is a practicing doctor post her graduation, leading to better fruits beyond her equestrian forays.

With unbridled support from her father, Jennifer entered the Winter Equestrian festival at the mere age of 15. For her preparation, Bill Gates had rented out a mansion for $600,000 in Florida. It had every resource required for an equestrian. In the year of 2016, Jennifer won her first silver medal at the North American Junior Championship. She would then follow it up next year with a first place finish at the U25 National Championship. Post that, she won numerous medals in junior competitions. However, Jennifer decided that she wanted something else as her main profession. She completed her medical studies and is now a Pediatrician at Mt. Sinai on the Pediatrics Research pathway, after 4 years of med school.

Her husband, on the other hand, is still very active. Nayel Nassar qualified for the Tokyo Olympics in 2021. This was his second appearance after London in 2012. He rode his horse, Igor, which he considered his favorite in the equestrian park. He ended up finishing 24th in it, thus unable to win a medal. However, he has not given up on his dreams as he’s going to represent his country, Egypt, in the 2024 Paris Olympics. Jennifer Gates will be in the stands supporting her husband through everything.