Spouse Of The Prime Minister Of The United Kingdom
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To date, there have been forty-six women and three men who have been married to the
British prime minister The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the head of government of the United Kingdom. The prime minister advises the sovereign on the exercise of much of the royal prerogative, chairs the Cabinet and selects its ministers. As moder ...
in office. There have also been four bachelor and nine widower prime ministers; the last bachelor was
Edward Heath Sir Edward Richard George Heath (9 July 191617 July 2005), often known as Ted Heath, was a British politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1970 to 1974 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1965 to 1975. Heath a ...
(1970–1974) and the last widower was Ramsay MacDonald (1924, 1929–1935). The
Duke of Grafton Duke of Grafton is a title in the Peerage of England. It was created in 1675 by Charles II of England for Henry FitzRoy, his second illegitimate son by the Duchess of Cleveland. The most notable duke of Grafton was Augustus FitzRoy, 3rd Duke ...
(1768–1770) and
Boris Johnson Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson (; born 19 June 1964) is a British politician, writer and journalist who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom and Leader of the Conservative Party from 2019 to 2022. He previously served as F ...
(2019–2022) are the only prime ministers to have divorced and remarried while in office. Current prime minister Rishi Sunak has been married to
Akshata Murty Akshata Narayan Murty (; born April 1980) is an Indian heiress, businesswoman, fashion designer and venture capitalist. She is married to Rishi Sunak, the prime minister of the United Kingdom and leader of the Conservative Party. According t ...
since 2009.


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 Cherie, Lady Blair, (; born 23 September 1954), also known professionally as Cherie Booth, is an English barrister and writer. She is married to the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Tony Blair. Early life and education Booth ...
have gained public attention through their own independent careers and achievements, as well as attending engagements such as the African First Ladies Summit. 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.


List of spouses


See also

*
List of prime ministers of the United Kingdom The prime minister of the United Kingdom is the principal minister of the crown of His Majesty's Government, and the head of the British Cabinet. There is no specific date for when the office of prime minister first appeared, as the role was n ...
*
Spouse of the prime minister of Australia The spouse of the prime minister of Australia, or partner of the prime minister of Australia, is generally a high-profile individual who assists the Prime Minister of Australia, prime minister with ceremonial duties as well as performing variou ...
*
Spouse of the prime minister of Canada The spouse of the prime minister of Canada (french: époux du premier ministre du Canada) is the wife or husband of the prime minister of Canada. Sophie Grégoire Trudeau is the wife of the 23rd and current prime minister, Justin Trudeau. Nine ...
* Spouse of the prime minister of New Zealand


Notes


References

{{First Ladies and Gentlemen *
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...