Queen of the castle: Friends of Carrie gloat that her hush-hush festival-chic marriage to Boris Johnson is a ‘triumph’ in her brutal Downing Street civil war with Dominic Cummings
- Boris and Carrie Johnson will delay their honeymoon so the Prime Minister can get back to his desk at No 10
- Couple tied the knot in secret at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday before celebrating in Downing Street
- Boris, who wore a white shirt tucked into some navy trousers, did not appear to be wearing a wedding ring
- They were expected to spend rest of weekend at Chequers, the PM’s country retreat in Buckinghamshire
Friends of Carrie Johnson have boldly claimed her marriage to Boris is a ‘triumph’ for the Prime Minister’s new wife in her brutal Downing Street civil war with Dominic Cummings.
They hit out at the former Downing Street power-broker after the Johnsons surprise Saturday wedding at Westminister Cathedral, which capped a roller-coaster week in which the couple were both rocked by his testimony to MPs.
In a sensational appearance in front of politicians probing the Covid crisis on Wednesday, Mr Cummings accused Mrs Johnson of distracting her future husband at the height of the first Covid outbreak by going ‘crackers’ about a news story involving their pet dog.
He also claimed that the former Conservative party communications director broke the law to push the Prime Minister into appointing her friends to senior posts within Downing Street at the expense of his own loyalists.
But last night, as the new couple enjoyed a quiet bank holiday weekend – they have postponed their honeymoon until next year – friends of the Prime Minister’s third wife lashed out at Cummings and other critics of her political influence over her husband.
One friend told the Times: ‘I’ve got huge admiration for Carrie. She’s been living through a horrendous time — she’s had to put up with accusations and smears, and she has come through it all with such dignity.
‘It’s a triumph for the way she’s handled it.’
Another said: ‘All I can say is that despite the trials of the last year, they still appear somehow to be head over heels,’ the friend said. ‘And throughout it all, whatever Dom is doing to them in the outside world, they manage to keep their sense of humour and interests going.’
It came as new details were revealed about the extent of the secrecy around the couple’s wedding was revealed, with even the choir singing for them unaware of the couple’s identity until afterwards.
The guests – limited to 30 – are believed to have included a leading Remainer. Journalist Hugo Dixon was at Eton with the PM and is a former deputy chairman of the People’s Vote campaign for a second Brexit referendum.
Boris and Carrie Johnson will delay their honeymoon so the Prime Minister can get back to his desk at No 10 tomorrow and concentrate on the fight against Covid
The Johnson’s surprise Saturday wedding at Westminister Cathedral capped a roller-coaster week for the couple in which they were both mauled by the PM’s ex-chief aide Dominic Cummings
His wife, who is thought to have hired her wedding dress, said last night that she was ‘very, very happy’
Timing is NOT June 21 clue
Ministers insist that big weddings could still go ahead this summer as doubts were raised yesterday by the timing of the Johnsons’ nuptials.
The Prime Minister’s decision not to wait until restrictions are lifted raised speculation the limit on 30 guests will not be removed on June 21.
But vaccines minister Nadhim Zahawi yesterday insisted the wedding should not send a signal that the further easing of lockdown measures will not go ahead as planned.
Put to him that the timing suggested larger wedding are not imminent, Mr Zahawi told Sky News: ‘I wouldn’t extrapolate anything from that.’
Yesterday it was reported that some couples with summer weddings have started to cancel or postpone them because of uncertainty about the June 21 re-opening.
Mr Cummings last week accused Mrs Johnson of ‘unethical and clearly illegal behaviour’ when trying to get Downing Street jobs for her friends – as he admitted her dislike of him was a factor in his firing.
The former No10 top aide referred to her only as ‘the PM’s girlfriend’ as he accused her of distracting Mr Johnson and leading him into bad decisions during key moments in the pandemic.
As well as the lead up to his resignation late last year Mr Cummings also claimed she occupied the Prime Minister’s attention at a crucial stage of the pandemic in March 2020 by ‘going completely crackers’ over a story in the press about their dog Dilyn.
He described the toxic atmosphere in Downing Street amid claims the pair were at war for months until Mr Cummings and several of his allies were forced out last November.
‘My resignation was definitely connected to the fact that the Prime Minister’s girlfriend was trying to change a whole bunch of different appointments in No10 and appoint her friends to particular jobs,’ he said.
‘In particular she was trying to overturn the outcome of an official process about hiring a particular job in a way which was not only completely unethical but which was clearly illegal.
‘I thought the whole process about how the PM was behaving at that point was appalling and all of that was definitely part of why I went.’
Mr Johnson is the first premier to marry in office in 199 years. He follows in the footsteps of Lord Liverpool, who married Mary Chester in 1822 and was prime minister for 15 years.
The couple tied the knot in secret at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday before celebrating with a small group of family and friends at a summer festival-themed party in the Downing Street garden.
But the couple will delay their honeymoon ‘by a year’ so the Prime Minister can get back to his desk at No10 tomorrow and concentrate on the fight against Covid.
The 33-year-old bride, who hired her £2,870 wedding dress by designer Christos Costarellos for just £45 from MyWardrobeHQ for the day, said last night she was ‘very, very happy’. Mr Johnson – who wore a white shirt tucked into some navy trousers – did not appear to be wearing a wedding ring.
The premier, 56, is understood to have picked his closest brother Leo – co-presenter of Radio 4 series Future Proofing -to stand by his side as his best man and provide moral support on his big day. Fellow Johnson siblings Jo, Julia and Rachel were also in attendance at the small wedding, the premier’s third.
Both the bride and groom’s mothers joined the summer festival-themed party in the Downing Street garden, but Carrie’s father Matthew Symonds was not present. It is not known if he was invited by the couple.
It is also thought that none of Mr Johnson’s four grown-up children from his second marriage to the QC Marina Wheeler were there to see their father remarry, and no Cabinet ministers or Tory MPs were thought to have been invited to the top-secret wedding either, the Sun reports.
The couple were expected to spend the rest of the Bank Holiday weekend at Chequers, the Prime Minister’s country retreat in Buckinghamshire. They have chosen to delay their honeymoon until summer 2022, when they will also hold a bigger wedding celebration, according to the Telegraph.
The 33-year-old bride, who hired her £2,870 wedding dress by designer Christos Costarellos for just £45 from MyWardrobeHQ, said she was ‘very, very happy’
The couple tied the knot in secret at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday before celebrating with a small group of family and friends at a summer festival-themed party in the Downing Street garden. Pictured: Stanley Johnson with his daughter Julia outside 10 Downing Street yesterday
Today it was revealed that guests included a leading Remainer. Journalist Hugo Dixon was at Eton with the PM and is a former deputy chairman of the People’s Vote campaign for a second Brexit referendum
Pictured: People seen leaving 10 Downing Street yesterday evening appearing to hold instruments
Pictured: British journalist Hugo Dixon seen leaving 10 Downing Street yesterday evening
A photograph released yesterday showed the pair gazing into each other’s eyes in the Downing Street garden after the wedding.
The picture was taken by Rebecca Fulton, an Oxfordshire wedding photographer whose prices begin at around £2,300 for a day’s work.
A later photograph tweeted by Foreign Office minister James Cleverly showed a barefooted Mrs Johnson with her husband, who had by then unbuttoned his shirt collar, taken off his jacket and tie and rolled up his shirt sleeves.
Bunting was hung from trees and a drinks table had been fashioned from bales of straw.
The newlyweds will conduct their first official engagement as husband and wife in a fortnight as they host world leaders and their spouses, including Joe and Jill Biden, at the G7 summit in Cornwall.
On Saturday evening, guests could be overheard signing Don McLean’s hit song American Pie.
The couple and their guests are understood to have been entertained by London-based acoustic trio Fiddlin’ About, who have also performed for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.
Mr Johnson is believed to have saved money on his wedding by using a marquee installed in the No 10 garden for official events.
Weddings in England are subject to strict coronavirus restrictions, with only up to 30 people able to attend ceremonies.
The PM’s father, Stanley Johnson, was photographed smiling outside No 10 on Saturday with his younger daughter Julia.
Other guests included anti-Brexit campaigner Hugo Dixon, who is one of Mr Johnson’s oldest friends having gone through prep school, Eton and Oxford together.
Mr and Mrs Johnson are planning a larger celebration next year when restrictions are expected to have been relaxed, with save-the-date cards sent out for July 30, 2022.
A No 10 spokesman said: ‘The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer.’
It is understood they plan to go on honeymoon at the same time.
Ahead of the wedding, Mrs Johnson shared on Instagram a photograph of their one-year-old son Wilfred in a field of bluebells, leading some to speculate it was a cryptic reference to the tradition of a bride wearing or carrying ‘something blue’ on her big day.
The wedding ceremony, held in Britain’s largest Catholic church, was conducted by Father Daniel Humphreys, the acting head of the cathedral, who also baptised Wilfred there last autumn.
Most of the staff, as well as the tourists in the 118-year-old Byzantine-style building in central London, had no idea the Prime Minister was about to be married there.
Created as part of an exclusive bridal capsule, the ethereal gown is handmade from tiers of wispy ivory tulle spun with silk, while the latticework trims and hand-cut ‘Kopaneli’ corded lace appliqués are signatures of the atelier and woven using traditional Greek patterns
Founded in 1998, the house of Costarellos takes inspiration from ancient Greek mythology and produces feminine ready-to-wear dresses and timeless, romantic bridalwear, often adorned with floral appliqués and a young, bohemian edge
Something borrowed?
The Christos Costarellos gown Carrie Johnson wore for her big day costs £2,870 – but the bride may have hired it from a website for as little as £45.
The white embroidered dress was designed exclusively for Net-A-Porter, where it is sold out. But it can be hired from website My Wardrobe HQ, where Mrs Johnson is a member. The site yesterday said it was currently rented out.
Mrs Johnson regularly uses My Wardrobe HQ and hired the blue and white dress she wore to meet the Queen at Balmoral in 2019 from the site.
As the time neared for the couple to tie the knot at 2pm on Saturday, visitors were ushered out by staff who told them the cathedral, half a mile from Downing Street, was going into lockdown.
A limousine swept into the piazza by the main west door. In it was Miss Symonds, who stepped out in a flowing white dress but no veil.
She and Mr Johnson – who wore a ‘very dapper’ suit, according to one witness – walked down the aisle of the Lady Chapel to classical music and shared a kiss after their vows were read. Wilfred is said to have accompanied his parents.
Preparations for the service were so top secret they involved only a handful of church officials.
One member of staff at the cathedral said they only discovered the identity of the couple the day before.
Another, cathedral chaplain Father Michael Donaghy, did not know the identity of the bride and groom until it was over. ‘It’s been kept very confidential,’ he said.
A cathedral worker said the bride ‘looked beautiful’ and the groom was ‘extremely happy’, adding: ‘She came down the aisle and he didn’t take his eyes off her. They looked besotted.’
Big Issue seller Adrian Richmond, 52, saw events unfold outside, with guests slipping into the cathedral just after mass had finished at 1pm on Saturday.
He added: ‘It was very discreet. I only saw one lady holding a bag with a present. There weren’t any flowers, so it felt a bit cloak-and-dagger. One of my friends said the PM was getting married. I thought she was having me on. I wish them good luck.’
The couple announced their engagement – and the news that they were expecting their first child – in February last year. Wilfred was born two months later.
Mr Johnson finalised his divorce from second wife Marina Wheeler last year, having divorced Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1993.
Boris Johnson picked his closest brother Leo as his best man and provide moral support as PM secretly married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral
Boris Johnson picked his closest brother Leo to stand by his side as his best man and provide moral support as he secretly married Carrie Symonds at Westminster Cathedral on Sunday.
Leo Johnson, the Prime Minister’s shy younger brother, is a co-presenter of Radio 4 series Future Proofing and co-founder of advisory firm Sustainable Finance – part of professional services group PwC.
He went to Oxford, like his siblings, and was described by his sister Rachel as the ‘perfect mix of Michael York and Jeff Bridges’. She said in 2015: ‘He walked into a London hotel recently and every woman looked round.’
Leo also founded an organic wine company from his home in north London six years ago.
The Prime Minister’s fellow siblings Jo, Julia and Rachel were in attendance too, the Sun reports.
Both the bride and groom’s mothers joined the summer festival-themed party in the Downing Street garden, but Carrie’s father Matthew Symonds was not present. It is not known if he was invited by the couple.
It is also thought that none of Mr Johnson’s four grown-up children were there to see their father remarry.
No Cabinet ministers or Tory MPs were thought to have been invited to the wedding, causing upset in the party.
How twice-married PM was able to marry in a Catholic Church?
Questions were yesterday raised on how twice-divorced Boris Johnson was able to remarry in a Catholic church.
Mr Johnson was baptised as a Catholic but was confirmed as an Anglican as a teenager when he was at Eton. His bride Carrie Symonds is a practising Catholic.
Last night the Diocese of Westminster confirmed that, as someone baptised in the faith, Mr Johnson’s previous marriages were not considered valid because they were not Catholic ceremonies.
So this meant the Prime Minister could marry for the ‘first’ time in a Roman Catholic church.
Despite explanations about how their wedding could have been held in accordance with Vatican doctrine, the subject was being keenly discussed yesterday by Westminster Cathedral worshippers.
Questions were yesterday raised on how twice-divorced Boris Johnson was able to remarry in a Catholic church
Some wondered whether Mr Johnson had needed to convert before the nuptials took place, while one even brought up Henry VIII’s troubled love-life as a potential precursor.
But last night a Diocese of Westminster spokesman confirmed: ‘With regard to divorced persons, a baptised Catholic who has contracted a marriage recognised in civil law but without observing the requirements of Catholic Canon Law is not recognised as validly married in the eyes of the Catholic Church.’
Austen Ivereigh, a Roman Catholic author, commentator and biographer of Pope Francis, said on Twitter: ‘Many will ask how it is that the Catholic Church, famous for its vigorous commitment to the permanence of marriage, should be witnessing the marriage of a twice-divorced PM who is publicly notorious for the opposite? What kind of message does that send?
‘But Catholics have a right to the sacraments and if they fulfil the requirements in law, and properly enter into them, no one can stop them exercising those rights.’
Mr Johnson was married to first wife Allegra Mostyn-Owen for six years and to second wife Marina Wheeler for 27 years.
A Westminster Cathedral spokesman added: ‘The bride and groom are both parishioners of the Westminster Cathedral parish and baptised Catholics.
‘All necessary steps were taken, in both Church and civil law, and all formalities completed before the wedding. We wish them every happiness.’
A fairy tale ending for the Tory PR chief turned First Lady: The ‘cloak and dagger’ operation surrounding Boris Johnson’s marriage to Carrie Symonds
By Paul Bracchi and Andrew Pierce for the Daily Mail
It was certainly a fairy-tale ending for Carrie Symonds , the Conservative PR girl who finally married her ‘boss’ in a secret 30-minute ceremony in the Lady Chapel of Westminster Cathedral on Saturday
She wore a stunning embroidered white dress without a veil and a crown of flowers as she walked down the aisle to the strains of classical music.
It was certainly a fairy-tale ending for Carrie Symonds, the Conservative PR girl who finally married her ‘boss’ in a secret 30-minute ceremony in the Lady Chapel of Westminster Cathedral on Saturday.
Yet the path that led to the altar where a ‘besotted’ Boris Johnson was waiting to exchange vows (for the third time) was anything but.
The succession of scandals and squabbles which seemed to dog their relationship – almost inevitable perhaps given the dramatis personae and the circumstances – must have made the weekend all the sweeter for Miss Symonds, 33.
The naysayers said it wouldn’t last after all, that she herself was on the make anyway.
And who can forget that screaming match at her flat in Camberwell, south London, overheard by nosey neighbours when she could be heard shouting: ‘Get off me… Get out of my flat!’
Friends denied that they were on the verge of breaking up and insisted the row nearly two years ago had been just a lovers’ tiff. And so it proved to be.
Yet, the intrigue and the whiff of controversy continued right up to the ‘cloak and dagger’ operation surrounding their nuptials – just six days after save-the-date cards were sent to a handful of close friends and family telling them to keep July 30, 2022, free for their wedding.
It was an elaborate ruse, of course. Even Downing Street aides had been unaware that they were tying the knot.
They had apparently been planning it all for the past six months.
Many, however, were surprised to learn that the couple were allowed to marry in Westminster Cathedral, the mother church of the Roman Catholic Church in England, because Mr Johnson, 56, is twice divorced.
But this was not an impediment, we were told, because neither of his previous marriages were within the Catholic Church.
Even Downing Street aides had been unaware that they were tying the knot. They had apparently been planning it all for the past six months
It was as if this was the first time, in other words, he had uttered the words ‘I do’ – at least in the eyes of the church hierarchy. Miss Symonds is a Catholic and Mr Johnson is the first baptised Catholic to become Prime Minister.
Covid rules limit weddings to 30 guests at the moment. Might this, in the circumstances, have proven convenient for Mr Johnson – avoiding the expense of a more lavish affair and awkward questions about why certain family members opposed to the marriage might be missing? Even Mr Johnson’s father Stanley found out only a few days ago.
Even if they had wanted a much bigger celebration, their joint finances would not have stretched that far, a source told us. The fact that Mr Johnson had to repay Tory donor Lord Brownlow for the controversial Downing Street flat refurbishment didn’t help.
‘It’s no secret Boris is broke,’ said a friend, who was not at the wedding. ‘But having the wedding meant it had to take place under Covid restrictions with only up to 30 guests allowed including the bride and groom.’
Had they waited until later in the year they both agreed that a grand reception would have sent the wrong signals as the country emerges from the gloom of the pandemic.
Miss Symonds is also said to be sensitive about her nickname ‘Carrie Antoinette’ – which she was dubbed in some quarters – after hiring society interior designer Lulu Lytle.
‘They won’t be able to say that now after the celebration consisted of a few drinks at Downing Street,’ the friend added.
It is also unlikely that everyone would have accepted an invitation.His four older children by his second marriage to Marina Wheeler were reportedly upset by the relationship, prompting his eldest daughter, Lara, a journalist five years younger than Miss Symonds, to write on Instagram (back in April 2019) that the past 12 months had been the ‘hardest and the most hurtful year’ of her life.
‘It’s no secret Boris is broke,’ said a friend, who was not at the wedding. ‘But having the wedding meant it had to take place under Covid restrictions with only up to 30 guests allowed including the bride and groom
Her father was publicly linked with Carrie Symonds shortly after he split up with Marina, his wife of 25 years, in 2018.
Miss Symonds was described at the time as a party-loving Tory aide. She was no stranger to complicated romantic entanglements: Her father was a journalist on The Independent, her mother, one of the paper’s lawyers. Both were married to other people at the time that she was born, and they never lived together.
She was brought up by her mother in East Sheen, in the London suburbs. After attending Godolphin and Latymer, one of the leading private girls’ schools in the capital, she went to Warwick University to study art history and theatre studies.
After graduating she flirted with the idea of becoming an actress but joined the Tory party media machine in 2009 instead.
She rose quickly through the ranks – from press adviser to head of broadcast at Conservative campaign headquarters in the run-up to the 2015 general election and then, in 2018, the party’s director of communications.
Miss Symonds first met Mr Johnson when she worked on his campaign team for re-election as mayor of London.
Gossips quickly noted how she was inclined to praise him when he was Foreign Secretary. ‘This is really worth watching,’ she tweeted, posting a link to a speech he had made. ‘Boris absolutely brilliant in debate on Brexit and Foreign Policy earlier this week.’
Soon tongues started wagging and – in the time-honoured fashion – they were said to enjoy a ‘strong friendship.’
Her apparent influence over Mr Johnson – whose chequered private life included a first marriage to his girlfriend at Oxford, Allegra Mostyn-Owen, as well as a child with art consultant Helen Macintyre – alarmed some Westminster power brokers.
Rumours about their ‘strong friendship’ intensified after Mr Johnson was reportedly spotted in Rules restaurant in Covent Garden with a ‘young attractive’ blonde woman.
They are said to have spent two hours at a corner table with two bodyguards nearby. Proof of their growing closeness, for many at least, came when he attended her Abba-themed 30th birthday party.
‘Crikey,’ said one pal at the time. ‘He must be really smitten to endure that.’
In the weeks that followed, they were variously described as ‘inseparable’ and later as ‘very much in love’. Miss Symonds, it emerged, had a picture of a smiling Mr Johnson as a screensaver on her phone and she called him ‘Bozzie Bear.’ It was not long before he had moved into her flat in Camberwell.
Friends commented, meanwhile, on Mr Johnson’s new slimline look. He had lost 18lb, he would later admit, for which he credited his girlfriend who was keen on yoga, healthy eating and protecting the environment.
When did their romance receive the official stamp of approval? It was probably in September 2019 when Miss Symonds became the first unmarried partner of a serving Prime Minister to visit the Queen at Balmoral on the traditional annual engagement.
But she really came into her own during the election campaign three months later, demonstrating what some called a masterclass in how to become a successful First Lady – proving that this was a relationship likely to last. The couple announced their engagement in February the following year when they revealed they were expecting their first child.
It is thought Mr Johnson proposed during a break in Mustique over Christmas – with good reason.
Miss Symonds posted an intimate picture of him tenderly kissing her cheek, accompanied by the following explanatory note: ‘I wouldn’t normally post this kind of thing here but I wanted my friends to find out from me…
‘Many of you already know but for my friends that still don’t, we got engaged at the end of last year… and we’ve got a baby hatching early summer.’
Their baby son, Wilfred, was with them at the wedding.
Among the guests was her closest female friend Nimco Ali, a campaigner against female genital mutilation, along with the journalist Alex Wickham. They are both reportedly godparents to Wilfred.
Josh Grimstone, a special adviser to Cabinet Office minister Michael Gove, was also on the guest list.
‘People should give some credit to Carrie,’ said the friend who spoke to us. ‘She’s just got married to one of the most famous, recognisable men in the world – and no one knew. It’s astonishing nothing leaked. She kept it really tight and her inner circles are loyal and never said a word.
‘The key to the secret? She kept the politicians out of the loop.’
From coy glances at a fundraising ball to a secret ‘festival chic’ wedding: The story of Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds’ courtship in pictures
If it wasn’t love at first sight, it wasn’t far off.
The Foreign Secretary leaves a Tory fundraiser and shares a glance with a young party campaign worker on the steps of the Natural History Museum.
That was February 2018, and just three years on Boris Johnson and Carrie Symonds this weekend sealed their relationship with marriage at Westminster Cathedral, their one-year-old son looking on.
Throughout that time, be it in the glare of press photographers’ lenses or on their private Instagram account, the world has watched on as the couple’s relationship blossomed.
Here, we take a look back at some of those most-striking images…
February 2018: Carrie and Boris stand judiciously apart when leaving a Conservative fundraising ball held at the Natural History Museum – but Boris’s smitten look says it all
June 2019: Days after police were called to a blazing row at Carrie’s flat in Camberwell, south London, the couple are pictured all smiles in the Sussex countryside. It reassures the world that the Boris and Carrie show will go on
September 2019: The couple cement their now much quieter relationship by adopting Dilyn, a Jack Russell cross rescue puppy, who proves invaluable on the election trail. However, his toilet training may not have gone as smoothly…
October 2019: The couple share a kiss at the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central
October 2019: The couple share a kiss at the Conservative Party Conference at Manchester Central
December 2019: The couple arriving at the count for the seat of Uxbridge and South Ruislip at Brunel University
Mr Johnson and Ms Symonds watch the 2019 Election results on the TV in his study in No10 Downing Street
December 2019: Following the Tories’ general election victory, Carrie moves into No 10 as Boris’s official partner – making them the first unmarried couple to occupy Downing Street
February 2020: Carrie announces in a post on Instagram that they’re engaged and expecting a baby. A beautiful oval-cut emerald surrounded by diamonds and platinum, presented to her by Boris, seals the deal
April 2020: The couple’s son Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson is born
August 2020: They enjoy a quick family holiday to Scotland during an easing in lockdown restrictions
Boris Johnson married girlfriend Carrie Symonds in a secret ceremony yesterday morning, the Mail on Sunday can reveal
May 2021: Boris and Carrie pictured in the garden of 10 Downing Street after their secret wedding in Westminster Cathedral
May 2021: The PM is pictured with rolled-up sleeves next to his new barefoot bride in the garden of 10 Downing Street
May 2021: On the same day as their secret wedding, Carrie posts a picture of Wilfred surrounded by a sea of bluebells on a day out
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