Boris Johnson Marriage: From Secret Relationship To 'Hush Hush' Wedding; Know Who Is His Wife Carrie Symonds

Boris Johnson and Symonds have been living together in Downing Street since he became prime minister in 2019.

File Photo: Getty Images

London: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson married his fiancee Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, newspapers the Sun and Mail reported on Sunday.

Both newspapers state that even senior members of Johnson's office were unaware of the wedding plans and that guests were invited at the last minute for the ceremony in  central London.

The reports of the marriage come at a time when weddings in England are currently limited to 30 people due to Covid-19 restrictions.

Both newspaper reports reveal that the Catholic cathedral was suddenly locked down at 1:30 p.m. (1230 GMT) and Carrie Symonds arrived 30 minutes later in a limo, in a long white dress with no veil.

Boris Johnson and Symonds have been living together in Downing Street since he became prime minister in 2019.

Who is Carrie Symonds?

• Parents: Carrie Symonds was born on 17 March 1988 to Matthew Symonds, who was the co-founder of British newspaper The Independent, and Josephine Mcaffee, a lawyer working for that newspaper.
  
  
• Conservative Party: In 2009, Carrie Symonds joined the Conservative Party as a press officer. She later began working at Conservative Campaign Headquarters and campaigned for Boris Johnson in the 2010 London Conservative Party mayoral selection. She has also worked for Conservative MPs Sajid Javid (as a media special adviser) and John Whittingdale.
  
  
• Second Most Influential in UK Political Communication: Carrie Symonds became the Conservative Party's head of communications in 2018. That year, Symonds was named the second most influential person in UK political communications by PR Week.
  
  She quit the position later that year for a job in public relations for the Oceana project. At that time, there were rumours of her being Johnson's girlfriend from then on. It was also reported that she was asked to leave her post after sources claimed party chiefs had said her performance was poor, and questions were raised over significant unjustified expenses claims. These accusations were, however, rejected by other sources.
  
  
• Relationship With Boris Johnson: Her relationship with Boris Johnson, then the Foreign Secretary, reportedly began in 2018 while he was still married to his second wife, Marina Wheeler.
  
  Johnson and Symonds' relationship was confirmed on June 20, 2019, when a quarrel between the two led to police being called in to at her apartment in Camberwell, south London. She was reportedly recorded at their flat screaming at Johnson to get off of her. Following the furious row that became the subject of widespread attention, a photo appeared in the press of him and Symonds which was later accused of being staged by his campaign to deflect attention from the row.
  
  The picture appeared on many front pages in the UK suggesting that both had reconciled. There was widespread speculation on social media that the photo, which appeared in the press without any credit to the photographer, had been planted by Johnson's campaign.
  
  
• Encounter With Sex Offender: In 2007, Symonds (aged 19) was driven home from a King's Road nightclub by taxi-driver John Worboys, who was convicted of committing multiple sexual assaults on his passengers in 2009.
  
  She revealed that Worboys offered her champagne and vodka which she then was suspicious of being spiked. After returning home, she said she was vomiting and laughing hysterically before passing out.
  
  
• She was previously in a relationship with British political journalist Harry Cole.
  
  
• Moving Into 10 Downing Street: In July 2019, both Johnson and Symonds officially moved into 10 Downing Street when he became the prime minister. Last year they announced they were engaged in late 2019 and were expecting a child. Their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born in April 2020.

It is being said that this is the first time a marriage has happened in office for 250 years.