Australian prime minister Albanese becomes the first ever to marry in office

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese He married partner Jodie Haydon in a secret and intimate ceremony at his official residence in the national capital Canberra on Saturday.

Albanese became the first prime minister in the 124-year history of the Australian federal government to marry while in office.

The couple married in a civil ceremony at The Lodge in an afternoon ceremony in front of around 60 guests, including several cabinet ministers. There was no news about the incident in the media until the incident occurred.

“We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” the couple said in a statement. he said.

The couple wrote their own vows, and their dog Toto was the ring bearer. In the statement, it was stated that Haydon’s 5-year-old niece Ella was the flower girl.

Albanese, 62, who is divorced with an adult son, proposed to Haydon, 46, at The Lodge on Valentine’s Day last year. They planned a larger-scale wedding before the final election, which was originally scheduled for May this year. Albanese said on a radio show in Sydney that he was considering inviting the former Canadian Prime Minister. Justin Trudeausomeone he considers a personal friend.

But strategists in the ruling centre-left Labor Party feared a lavish wedding during the cost of living crisis could damage the government’s chances of re-election to a second three-year term.

It was decided to postpone the wedding until after the election. Albanese said the wedding would take place in 2025, but did not announce the date.

The wedding took place two days after Parliament ended on Thursday.

Haydon, who works in finance, met Albanese at a business dinner in Melbourne in 2020.

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This story has been corrected to remove references to Russell Crowe participating.