LONDON — Only every week in the past, Prime Minister Boris Johnson of Britain and his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, despatched buddies save-the-date playing cards for a marriage in July 2022, in accordance with a number of British newspapers. But on Saturday, Mr. Johnson and Ms. Symonds had been married in a stealth ceremony at Westminster Cathedral in London.
A spokesman for the prime minister’s workplace confirmed on Sunday: “The prime minister and Ms. Symonds had been married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. The couple will have fun their wedding ceremony with household and buddies subsequent summer season.”
It was a characteristically dramatic twist for a relationship that had unfolded in a frenetic means from the very begin.
Mr. Johnson, 56, moved into his official residence in Downing Street with Ms. Symonds in 2019 earlier than his divorce from his second spouse, Marina Wheeler, had been accomplished. Ms. Symonds gave beginning to a son, Wilfred, final spring, solely weeks after Mr. Johnson had survived a near-fatal bout with Covid-19.
It is the third marriage for Mr. Johnson and the primary for Ms. Symonds, 33, who has not too long ago come below scrutiny for her function in an costly refurbishment of the prime minister’s official quarters at Downing Street, which was initially financed by a donor to the Conservative Party.
The afternoon wedding ceremony, in London’s predominant Roman Catholic cathedral — lower than a mile from 10 Downing Street — was carried out in excessive secrecy, in accordance with The Mail on Sunday and The Sun, which first reported the wedding on Saturday night. Even Mr. Johnson’s shut aides weren’t instructed in advance of the ceremony. At about 1:30 p.m., in accordance with The Sun, the church was abruptly cleared of tourists, and Mr. Johnson and his bride pulled up in a limousine.
In accordance with coronavirus restrictions, there have been solely 30 friends in the byzantine-style church — together with Mr. Johnson’s father, Stanley — all of whom had been invited at quick discover. Ms. Symonds wore a protracted white gown however no veil, in accordance with The Sun. The couple’s year-old son was among the many witnesses.
Though the marriage was not confirmed by Downing Street till Sunday, information experiences on Saturday night drew congratulations from political figures, together with Arlene Foster, the primary minister of Northern Ireland, who mentioned on Twitter, “Huge congratulations to Boris Johnson & Carrie Symonds in your wedding ceremony at this time.”
Mr. Johnson is the primary British prime minister to be married in workplace since Lord Liverpool married Mary Chester in 1822, his second marriage. But a lot about Mr. Johnson and Ms. Symonds’s relationship has appeared unorthodox by the comparatively typical requirements of Downing Street.
Mr. Johnson, who was baptized as a Catholic by his mom, transformed to the Anglican religion whereas in boarding college. He met Ms. Symonds, a Catholic and a former Conservative Party communications aide, whereas he was married to his second spouse, Marina Wheeler, with whom he has 4 youngsters.
Mr. Johnson has by no means publicly confirmed what number of youngsters he has.
Mr. Johnson and Ms. Symonds disclosed that they had been engaged, and that she was pregnant, in February 2020, a month after Britain had formally left the European Union. That blissful information was rapidly overtaken by the pandemic, which claimed Mr. Johnson as an early sufferer when he turned sick and ended up in an intensive care unit.
Ms. Symonds, who works for an animals-rights group, additionally contracted Covid and wrote on Twitter about her fears throughout these days.
More not too long ago, she has been pulled right into a furor over the expensive renovation of the couple’s condominium at 11 Downing Street. A Conservative Party donor, David Brownlow, paid for a few of the work, supplementing the state price range of 30,000 kilos, or $42,570, offered for redecorating the condominium. Mr. Johnson mentioned he had picked up the price of the refurbishment when he was instructed of the association.
On Friday, an unbiased ethics adviser appointed by the federal government declared that Mr. Johnson had acted “unwisely” in the refurbishment of the condominium however that he had not violated the ministerial code of conduct.
