The world’s most powerful couples

Be it in business, politics, technology or media, these powerful super couples help shape our world.

Bill and Melinda Gates met in the late ’80s at a Microsoft press event in Manhattan. They married on January 1, 1994 and now have three children together. As founders of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the couple have become a dominant philanthropic force in the world with an estimated $26 billion in grant commitments since their charities inception in 1998.

Beyonce and Jay Z are the first couple of music. The superstars topped Forbes list of the highest-earning celebrity couples in 2013 with Beyonce out-earning her hip-hop mogul husband by $11 million.

What do you get when you pair a former two term President of the United States and a former United States Secretary of State? A very powerful couple indeed. Bill and Hillary Clinton have been a political force for decades and this duo has weathered their fair share of scandal and success. As Hillary prepares to enter the race for presidency no one can see this super couple’s powerful pull fading.

While Barack Obama might now have the top job in the US he actually met his wife Michelle in 1989, when she was his boss while he worked as a summer associate at her Chicago firm. They married in 1992 and Barrack climbed up the career ladder to eventually become a two term US President and Michelle a philanthropically focused First Lady who this year was ranked 8th most powerful woman in the world.

The Queen and her devoted consort, Prince Philip were both born into royalty. The Queen Elizabeth was born the first daughter of Elizabeth, Duchess of York and Prince Albert who went on to become King George VI. The Queen’s husband, Prince Philip was born a Prince of Greece and Denmark before his family was exiled from Greece when he was a child. During their reign and 67 year marriage the oldest British monarchs have been tireless in their dedication to their royal roles.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his supermodel wife Carla Bruni married in 2008. Their union created a European super couple that was able to influence areas politics, business, fashion and pop-culture with relative ease.

David and Victoria Beckham are the self-made super couple that at first had everyone cringing. But after years on the celebrity circuit, the famous footballer and singer-turned-fashion-designer wife have finally won public favour. Their combined income is estimated to in surplus of $50 million.

Widely recognised as Silicon Valley’s most powerful couple, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer and her successful lawyer husband Zachary Bogue, are a major force in the tech sphere. The pair married in 2009 and have one child together, a boy named Macallister.

Diane Sawyer is the veteran news anchor who has been a staple of American television for decades. Her husband of 25 years is Oscar and Tony-winning director Mike Nichols.

Helena Bonham Carter and Tim Burton are the quirky couple that have a stronghold on indie cinema. The Oscar-nominated director and his BAFTA-award winning wife bring their own brand of Gothic weirdness to mainstream cinema.

With a combined net worth of close to $20 billion, fashion legend Miuccia Prada her husband Patrizio Bertelli have the luxurious fashion world at their well-heeled feet. Miuccia inherited and grew the wealth of her family’s designer clothing company while Bertelli sits as CEO on the Prada board.

Former PM Kevin Rudd and wife Therese Rein have managed to spread their tentacles across both business and politics. The former first couple have had their ups and downs over the past year or so but still remain one of our most powerful duets in Australia.

Hollywood actress Selma Hayak and husband Francois-Henri Penault are currently ranked the number one richest celebrity couple in the world with an estimated net worth of more than $15 billion. While Hayak has made a great deal of money as an actress, producer and director, the majority of the wealth comes from Pinault – a French businessman and the chief executive officer of Kering – the company which owns luxe labels like Gucci, YSL and Balenciaga.

DVF designer Diane von Furstenberg and TV executive Barry Diller have a combined net worth of $1.3 billion and together the taste-makers are a cultural powerhouse.

Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie are easily one of the most recognised couples in the world. Brangelina have made millions from the movie business but of late they have converted their celebrity into a philanthropic currency and done work for the UNHCR as well as charities all over the globe.

She is the granddaughter of George Bush Sr and he is the heir to the Ralph Lauren fortune. Together Lauren Bush and David Lauren had one of the biggest society weddings recent history.

According to Forbes, NFL star Tom Brady and supermodel Gisele Bundchen have combined annual earnings of $76 million.

As the star and executive producer of The Ellen Show, 56 year-old Ellen DeGeneres is worth in excess of $50 million. Combine that with the income of her Hollywood actress and author wife, Portia De Rossi and you have one powerful showbiz pairing.