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Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom
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To date, forty-seven women and three men have been married to a British prime minister in office. There have also been four bachelor and nine widower prime ministers; the last bachelor was Edward Heath (1970–1974) and the last widower was Ramsay MacDonald (1924, 1929–1935). The Duke of Grafton (1768–1770) and Boris Johnson (2019–2022) are the only prime ministers to have divorced and remarried while in office.

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The current prime minister, Keir Starmer, has been married to Victoria Starmer since 2007.

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Role and duties

The role of the British prime minister's spouse is not an official one, and as such, they are not given a salary or official duties. Over time the position has evolved, and spouses such as Cherie Blair have gained public attention through their own independent careers and achievements, as well as attending engagements such as the African First Ladies Summit.[1]

Cherie Blair, with Cate Haste, wrote a book about recent prime ministerial spouses, The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister, 1955–1997, in 2005.[2]

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List of spouses

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See also

Notes

  1. Devonshire's wife Charlotte died in 1754.
  2. Mother of Lord Grenville.
  3. Grafton's second marriage after Anne Liddell.
  4. Shelburne's second marriage after Sophia Carteret.
  5. Daughter of the Duke of Devonshire.
  6. Portland's wife Lady Dorothy died in 1794.
  7. Melbourne's wife Lady Caroline died in 1828.
  8. Wellington's wife Catherine died in 1831.
  9. Russell's second marriage after Adelaide Lister.
  10. Aberdeen's first wife Catherine died in 1812 and his second wife Harriet died in 1833.
  11. Emily's second marriage after the Earl Cowper. Sister of the Viscount Melbourne.
  12. Mary's second marriage after Wyndham Lewis.
  13. Disraeli's wife Mary died in 1872.
  14. Rosebery's wife Hannah died in 1890.
  15. Asquith's second marriage after Helen Melland.
  16. Law's wife Annie died in 1909.
  17. MacDonald's wife Margaret died in 1911.
  18. Eden's second marriage after Beatrice Beckett.
  19. First male spouse. Thatcher's second marriage after Margot Kempson.
  20. Johnson's second marriage after Allegra Mostyn-Owen.[6]
  21. Wheeler was never in any official role as spouse of the prime minister as she and Johnson separated and began divorce proceedings in 2018.[12] Their divorce was finalised by November 2020.[7]
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References

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