IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

U.K. Prime Minister Boris Johnson marries fiancée in surprise ceremony

The couple announced they were engaged before the birth of their son, Wilfred, in April 2020.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson in the garden of 10 Downing Street, London, after their wedding on May 29, 2021.
Britain's Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie Johnson in the garden of 10 Downing Street, London, after their wedding on Saturday. Rebecca Fulton / Downing Street via AFP - Getty Images

LONDON — British Prime Minister Boris Johnson married his fiancée, Carrie Symonds, in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday, his office said.

The event was not announced in advance, and media reports said guests were invited at the last minute to the Roman Catholic cathedral in central London, adding that even senior members of Johnson's office were unaware of the wedding plans.

"The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral," Johnson's office said Sunday. "The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer."

Weddings in England are limited to 30 people because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Download the NBC News app for breaking news and politics

Johnson, 56, and Symonds, 33, have been living together in Downing Street since Johnson became prime minister in 2019.

On Saturday, the cathedral was suddenly locked down at 1:30 p.m. and Symonds arrived 30 minutes later in a limo, in a long white dress with no veil, media reports said.

The couple announced last year that they were engaged and that they were expecting a child. Their son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson, was born in April 2020.

British tabloid The Sun reported this month that wedding invitations had been sent to friends and family for July 2022.

Johnson, once dubbed "Bonking Boris" by Britain's tabloid media, has a complicated private life.

He was once fired from the Conservative Party's policy team while in opposition for lying about an extramarital affair. He has been divorced twice and refuses to say how many children he has fathered.

Johnson's last marriage was to Marina Wheeler, a lawyer. They had four children together and announced in September 2018 that they had separated.