Politics

Carrie Symonds 'married Boris Johnson in £2,800 dress she rented for just £45'


Carrie Symonds tied the knot to Boris Johnson in a dress she had rented for just £45, it has been reported.

The 33-year-old married the Prime Minister in an intimate ceremony at Westminster Cathedral on Saturday afternoon.

She wore a £2,870 gown by Greek-based luxury designer Christos Costarellos – but paid a fraction of that cost after renting it from MyWardrobeHQ, according to The Sun.

It will be returned on Monday, with the couple enjoying a brief two-day seaside break before the PM returns to work on Tuesday, insiders claim.

Mr Johnson picked brother Leo as his best man, and guests enjoyed an afternoon tea before dancing and singing songs around a fire pit at the back of 10 Downing Street.



The newlyweds celebrated in the grounds of Downing Street after the ceremony
The newlyweds celebrated in the grounds of Downing Street after the ceremony

So secretive were the plans that even senior members of staff in Mr Johnson’s office were kept in the dark about yesterday’s wedding.

None of Mr Johnson’s adult children were at the wedding, according to The Sun.

Due to current Covid regulations, just 30 people were allowed to attend the festivities, which were the result of a six month “cloak and dagger” operation.

This could be convenient for a PM who has recently had to shell out for the refurbishment of his Downing Street flat – at a cost of between £50,000 and £200,000 – a friend suggested.

The pal, who was not at the wedding, told the Daily Mail : “It’s no secret Boris is broke.

“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.”



A gazebo in the grounds of 10 Downing Street was visible on Sunday
A gazebo in the grounds of 10 Downing Street was visible on Sunday

Music for the “hippy” style celebration was provided by a folk band called The Bow Fiddlies, The Sun reports.

Describing the service, the acting administrator at the cathedral said: “It was lovely. I’m not going to say too much but it all went well.

“It was very quiet but a very dignified occasion.”

Guests are believed to have been invited at the last minute to the ceremony, with bemused tourists ushered out of the building shortly before their arrival.

They later celebrated at a marquee in the garden at Number 10, according to reports, with the couple said to have danced to Don McLean song American Pie.

Carrie wore a long white dress with no veil, witnesses said, while the PM is said to have looked “very dapper” for the occasion.

In an apparent red herring, Mr Johnson and Carrie reportedly sent out save-the-date cards for June 30 next year.

A No10 spokesman said this morning: “The Prime Minister and Ms Symonds were married yesterday afternoon in a small ceremony at Westminster Cathedral. The couple will celebrate their wedding with family and friends next summer.”

Mr Johnson will return to work after the Bank Holiday weekend, and will postpone their honeymoon until next summer, sources said.

This morning Tory MP James Cleverly shared a picture of the couple seemingly in the garden in Downing Street following the ceremony.

It shows bunting and hay bales, with Carrie dressed in a ‘boho-chic’ dress with a flower garland around her head.

By that stage Mr Johnson had shed his tie and jacket, and was shown smiling with his wife.



The wedding was held at Westminster Cathedral, less than two miles from Downing Street
The wedding was held at Westminster Cathedral, less than two miles from Downing Street

The ceremony – the PM’s third marriage – was carried out by Father Daniel Humphreys, who had given the couple pre-marriage instructions, and baptised their son Wilfred last year.

It is the first time since 1822 that a Prime Minister has married while in office – with Lord Liverpool the last to walk down the aisle while at the helm.

They were the first unmarried couple to live in Downing Street after Mr Johnson became PM in July 2019.

On Sunday pictures of the smiling couple looking into each other’s eyes were finally released, showing Carrie in a long white dress and the Prime Minister in a black suit with a blue tie.

Carrie reportedly arrived in a limousine shortly after the cathedral was cleared.

A witness told The Telegraph: “Carrie looked beautiful. She had a long white dress with no veil.”

Describing the happy couple, the insider continued: “He was extremely happy as you can imagine, he looked very smart, and was in a very dapper suit.”

The PM reportedly “couldn’t keep his eyes off” Carrie, who became his third wife at 1.30pm.

The couple delighted in keeping their plans secret until the last possible moment, a pal revealed.

A source close to the bride said: “They are both absolutely thrilled.



Their romance became public in 2019 and they have a son, Wilfred, together
Their romance became public in 2019 and they have a son, Wilfred, together

“The whole thing has been conducted amid great secrecy and planned meticulously.

“It was just their secret and that made the day so special.”

A gazebo was visible in the garden of 10 Downing Street, while musicians were pictured leaving.

Security was tight around the Catholic cathedral, with staff – who did not know the couple’s identity until the day before – saying there were police “everywhere”.

Details of those invited have been kept under wraps, but Mr Johnson’s dad Stanley and siblings Rachel, Jo and Leo were in attendance.

The couple’s relationship became public just months after Mr Johnson separated from second wife Marina Wheeler in 2018.

He and Ms Wheeler have four children together.



The PM's dad Stanley with his daughter Julia at Downing Street on Saturday
The PM’s dad Stanley with his daughter Julia at Downing Street on Saturday

His first marriage to Allegra Mostyn-Owen was annulled in 1993.

He proposed to his partner during a holiday to Mustique at the end of 2019, which he says was paid for by Tory donor David Ross.

The Parliamentary Commissioner for Standards, Kathryn Stone, confirmed earlier this month that she is still investigating whether he properly declared the holiday on the private island 16 months ago.

The joyous occasion comes at the end of a troubling week for the PM, with former aide Dominic Cummings making a series of explosive allegations about his handling of the Covid crisis.

Among these were claims he said the virus “only” killed 80-year-olds, and he backed up claims Mr Johnson said “let the bodies pile high in their thousands”.

Mr Cummings also claimed that in February 2020, when the pandemic was becoming a major global crisis, Mr Johnson was “distracted by finalising his divorce, his girlfriend wanted to announce being pregnant and an engagement, and his finances”.

And on Friday a watchdog said it was “unwise” of him to have gone ahead with a controversial refurbishment of his Downing Street flat, which was overseen by Carrie.

Vaccine Minister Nadhim Zahawi told Sky News he did not get an invite to the wedding.

But he added: “I want to congratulate the Prime Minister and Carrie Symonds on tying the knot.

“A great feeling as you come together and of course I think it’s a wonderful thing for both of them that they have really made their marriage vows to one another.”





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