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Spouse of the prime minister of the United Kingdom facts for kids

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Spouse of the Prime Minister
of the United Kingdom
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Victoria Starmer leave for NATO (crop to Vic).jpg
Incumbent
Victoria, Lady Starmer
since 5 July 2024
Residence 10 Downing Street (customary)
Formation 3 April 1721 (304 years ago) (1721-04-03)
First holder Catherine, Lady Walpole

The spouse of the British prime minister is the husband or wife of the person leading the UK government. This role is not official. It does not come with a salary or specific duties.

So far, 47 women and 3 men have been married to a British prime minister while they were in office. Some prime ministers were single (bachelors) or had lost their spouse (widowers). The last single prime minister was Edward Heath (1970–1974). The last widower was Ramsay MacDonald (1924, 1929–1935).

Only two prime ministers have divorced and remarried while in office. These were the Duke of Grafton (1768–1770) and Boris Johnson (2019–2022).

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

What Does the Prime Minister's Spouse Do?

The job of the British prime minister's spouse is not an official one. This means they do not get paid. They also do not have official tasks they must do.

Over time, this role has changed. Some spouses, like Cherie Blair, have become well-known. They gained public attention through their own careers and achievements. They also attend important events, such as the African First Ladies Summit.

Cherie Blair even wrote a book about recent prime ministerial spouses. It was called The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister, 1955–1997. She wrote it with Cate Haste in 2005.

See also

Images for kids

  • Catherine Walpole (née Shorter), Lady Walpole (cropped)

    Portrait of Catherine Walpole

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  • Henrietta (d 1776), wife of Thomas Pelham-Holles by Charles Jervas (cropped)

    Portrait of Harriet Pelham-Holles

  • Mary Stuart (1718-1794), Countess of Bute, after Sir Joshua Reynolds (cropped)

    Portrait of Mary Stuart

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  • Mary Bright (cropped)

    Portrait of Mary Watson-Wentworth

  • Hester (nee Grenville) Countess of Chatham (1721-1803) (cropped)

    Portrait of Hester Pitt

  • Lucas, David - Anne, Duchess of Grafton (cropped)

    Portrait of Anne FitzRoy

  • Thomas Gainsborough - Elizabeth Wrottesley, later Duchess of Grafton - Google Art Project (cropped)

    Portrait of Elizabeth FitzRoy

  • Anne, wife of Frederick North, 2nd Earl of Guildford, after Joshua Reynolds (cropped)

    Portrait of Anne North

  • A catalogue of the pictures and drawings in the National loan exhibition, in aid of National gallery funds, held in the Grafton Galleries, London (1909-1910) (1909) (14760399621)

    Portrait of Louisa Petty

  • Dorothy Cavendish, wife of William Cavendish Bentinck, 3rd Duke of Portland (1738-1809) by George Romney (cropped)

    Portrait of Dorothy Bentinck

  • Elisabeth Vigée-Lebrun - Portrait of Anna Pitt as Hebe - WGA25079 (cropped)

    Portrait of Anne Grenville

  • Portrait of Mrs. Spencer Perceval by Elisabeth-Louise Vigée Le Brun
  • Louisa Hervey by George Romney (detail)

    Portrait of Louisa Jenkinson

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  • Sarah Countess of Ripon 1849 2 (cropped)
  • Catherine Wellesley, Duchess of Wellington (cropped)
  • Lady-Caroline-Barrington-ne-Grey-Lady-Georgiana-Grey-Mary-Elizabeth-Grey-ne-Ponsonby-Countess-Grey (cropped) (cropped)
  • Julia, Lady Peel - Lawrence 1827 (cropped)

    Portrait of Julia Peel

  • Frances Elliot Murray Kynynmound (cropped)

    Portrait of Frances Russell

  • Emma Bootle Wilbraham (cropped)

    Portrait of Emma Caroline Smith-Stanley

  • Emily Lamb by William Owen (cropped)

    Portrait of Emily Temple

  • Mary anne disraeli

    Portrait of Mary Anne Disraeli

  • Catherine Gladstone (née Glynne) (cropped)

    Portrait of Catherine Gladstone

  • Georgina-Gascoyne-Cecil-ne-Alderson-Marchioness-of-Salisbury (cropped)
  • LADY CAMPBELL-BANNERMAN (cropped)

    Portrait of Charlotte Campbell-Bannerman

  • Margaret-Emma-Alice-Margot-Asquith-ne-Tennant-Countess-of-Oxford-and-Asquith

    Portrait of Margot Asquith

  • Margaret Lloyd George in 1919 (cropped)

    Portrait of Margaret Lloyd George

  • Lucy-ne-Ridsdale-Countess-Baldwin

    Portrait of Lucy Baldwin

  • Anne-Vere-Chamberlain-ne-Cole

    Portrait of Anne Cole

  • Clementine Churchill 1915

    Portrait of Clementine Churchill

  • Violet-Helen-ne-Millar-Countess-Attlee
  • Clarissa Eden
  • Lady-Dorothy-Evelyn-Macmillan-ne-Cavendish (retouched greyscale)
  • Elizabeth Douglas-Home (retouched)

    Portrait of Elizabeth Douglas-Home

  • Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx 1970

    Portrait of Mary Wilson

  • Audrey Callaghan - NARA - 178489

    Portrait of Audrey Callaghan

  • Denis Thatcher (cropped)

    Portrait of Denis Thatcher

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  • Cherie Blair Jimmy Wales Allan Warren (cropped)

    Portrait of Cherie Blair

  • Gordon and Sarah Brown (cropped)

    Portrait of Sarah Brown

  • Armed Forces Full Honor Cordon and State Dinner for United Kingdom 120314-A-WP504-075 (cropped)

    Portrait of Samantha Cameron

  • Philip May in 2019

    Portrait of Philip May

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  • Boris Johnson's last day as prime minister (cropped)

    Portrait of Carrie Johnson

  • Hugh O'Leary 2

    Portrait of Hugh O'Leary

  • Akshata Murty hosts a Lessons at 10 Downing Street for International Women's Day on 8 March 2024 - 42 (cropped)

    Portrait of Akshata Murty

  • Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Victoria Starmer leave for NATO (crop to Vic)

    Portrait of Victoria Starmer

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