Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom
Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom | |
---|---|
Style | Mrs. Cameron |
Residence | 10 Downing Street |
Inaugural holder | Catherine, Lady Walpole |
Formation | 30 April 1789 |
Website | number10.gov.uk |
The Spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom is the wife or husband of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. To date there have been 44 women and one man who have been married to British Prime Ministers whilst in office. The United Kingdom has also had four bachelor and several widower Prime Ministers, the last bachelor being Edward Heath, and the last widower being Ramsay MacDonald, besides one, the Duke of Grafton, who was divorced while in office.
Contents
Living spouses of Prime Ministers
The spouse of the current Prime Minister is Samantha Cameron, wife of David Cameron and is also the youngest prime ministerial spouse to enter Downing Street since Clarissa Eden, when Anthony Eden took office in 1955. There are currently five living spouses of former Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom:
- Clarissa Eden, Dowager Countess of Avon (born 1920), widow of Anthony Eden, 1st Earl of Avon
- Mary Wilson, Baroness Wilson of Rievaulx (born 1916), widow of Harold Wilson, Baron Wilson of Rievaulx, who is the oldest living spouse and the longest-lived on record, having passed her 100th birthday on 12 January 2016
- Dame Norma Major, Lady Major DBE (born 1942), wife of Sir John Major
- Cherie Blair CBE QC (born 1954), wife of Tony Blair
- Sarah Brown (born 1963), wife of Gordon Brown
Role and duties
The role of the Prime Ministerial Consort is not an official office and as such they are not given a salary or official duties. Some spouses, such as Norma Major, have chosen to remain very much in the background, although over time the position has evolved and others, such as Cherie Blair, have gained public attention through their own independent careers and achievements, as well as attending engagements such as the African First Ladies Summit.[1] The role also includes playing hostess at 10 Downing Street during state visits and ceremonial functions. Samantha Cameron hosted a street party at Downing Street to celebrate the Wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton. The Prime Minister's consort has gained more media attention over time especially concerning fashion and when attending functions such as national conference and at summit meetings, and though their role is not official, staff are appointed to help who form part of the Prime Minister's Office. Isabel Spearman is the current adviser to the wife of the Prime Minister.
Cherie Blair, with Cate Haste, wrote a book about recent Prime Ministerial spouses, The Goldfish Bowl: Married to the Prime Minister, 1955–1997, in 2005.[2]
List of spouses of British Prime Ministers
Prime Minister | Term | Spouse | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Sir Robert Walpole The Earl of Orford (1742) |
4 April 1721 – 20 August 1737 | Lady Walpole (Catherine Shorter) |
Walpole's first wife, she died in 1737. |
20 August 1737 – c. 3 March 1738 | None | Widower | |
c. 3 March – 4 June 1738 | Lady Walpole (Maria Skerrett) |
Walpole's second wife, she died in childbirth in 1738. | |
4 June 1738 – 11 February 1742 | None | Widower | |
The Earl of Wilmington | 16 February 1742 – 2 July 1743 | None | Bachelor: Lord Wilmington never married. |
Henry Pelham | 27 August 1743 – 6 March 1754 | Lady Catherine Pelham (Lady Catherine Manners) |
|
The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 16 March 1754 – 16 November 1756 | The Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Lady Harriet Godolphin) |
|
The Duke of Devonshire | 16 November 1756 – 25 June 1757 | None | Widower: Devonshire's wife, the Marchioness of Hartington (Lady Charlotte Boyle), had died in 1754. |
The Duke of Newcastle-upon-Tyne | 2 July 1757 – 26 May 1762 | The Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne (Lady Harriet Godolphin) |
|
The Earl of Bute | 26 May 1762 – 16 April 1763 | The Countess of Bute (Mary Wortley Montagu) |
|
George Grenville | 16 April 1763 – 13 July 1765 | Mrs. Grenville (Elizabeth Wyndham) |
Mother of William, Lord Grenville |
The Marquess of Rockingham | 13 July 1765 – 30 July 1766 | The Marchioness of Rockingham (Mary Bright) |
|
William Pitt the Elder The Earl of Chatham (1766) |
30 July 1766 – 14 October 1768 | Mrs. Pitt (Hester Grenville) The Countess of Chatham (1766) |
Mother of William Pitt the Younger. |
The Duke of Grafton | 14 October 1768 – 23 March 1769 | The Duchess of Grafton (Anne Liddell) later The Countess of Upper Ossory |
Grafton's first wife, lived apart and divorced 23 March 1769. She remarried 26 March 1769 to the 2nd Earl of Upper Ossory, by whom she already had a child. |
23 March - 24 June 1769 | None | Divorcee | |
24 June 1769 - 28 January 1770 | The Duchess of Grafton (Elizabeth Wrottesley) |
Grafton's second wife, married 24 June 1769. | |
Lord North later The Earl of Guilford |
28 January 1770 – 22 March 1782 | Lady North (Anne Speke) later The Countess of Guilford |
|
The Marquess of Rockingham | 27 March – 1 July 1782 | The Marchioness of Rockingham (Mary Bright) |
|
The Earl of Shelburne later The Marquess of Lansdowne |
4 July 1782 – 2 April 1783 | The Countess of Shelburne (Lady Louisa FitzPatrick) later The Marchioness of Lansdowne |
Shelburne's second wife. |
The Duke of Portland | 2 April – 19 December 1783 | The Duchess of Portland (Lady Dorothy Cavendish) |
Daughter of The Duke of Devonshire |
William Pitt the Younger | 19 December 1783 – 14 March 1801 | None | Bachelor: Pitt the Younger never married. |
Henry Addington later The Viscount Sidmouth |
17 March 1801 – 10 May 1804 | Mrs. Addington (Ursula Hammond) later The Viscountess Sidmouth |
|
William Pitt the Younger | 10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806 | None | Bachelor: Pitt the Younger never married. |
The Lord Grenville | 11 February 1806 – 31 March 1807 | The Lady Grenville (Anne Pitt) |
|
The Duke of Portland | 31 March 1807 – 4 October 1809 | None | Widower: Portland's wife, The Duchess of Portland (Lady Dorothy Cavendish), had died in 1794. |
Spencer Perceval | 4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812 | Mrs. Perceval (Jane Wilson) |
|
The Earl of Liverpool | 8 June 1812 – 12 June 1821 | The Countess of Liverpool (Lady Louisa Hervey) |
Liverpool's first wife, she died in 1821. |
12 June 1821 – 24 September 1822 | None | Widower | |
24 September 1822 – 9 April 1827 | The Countess of Liverpool (Mary Chester) |
Liverpool's second wife. | |
George Canning | 10 April – 8 August 1827 | Mrs. Canning (Joan Scott) later The Viscountess Canning |
|
The Viscount Goderich later The Earl of Ripon |
31 August 1827 – 21 January 1828 | The Viscountess Goderich (Lady Sarah Hobart) later The Countess of Ripon |
|
The Duke of Wellington | 22 January 1828 – 16 November 1830 | The Duchess of Wellington (Catherine Pakenham) |
|
The Earl Grey | 22 November 1830 – 9 July 1834 | The Countess Grey (Mary Ponsonby) |
|
The Viscount Melbourne | 16 July – 14 November 1834 | None | Widower: Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb (Lady Caroline Ponsonby), had died in 1828. |
The Duke of Wellington | 14 November – 10 December 1834 | None | Widower: Wellington's wife, The Duchess of Wellington (Catherine Pakenham), had died in 1831. |
Sir Robert Peel, Bt. | 10 December 1834 – 8 April 1835 | Lady Peel (Julia Floyd) |
|
The Viscount Melbourne | 18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841 | None | Widower: Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb (Lady Caroline Ponsonby), had died in 1828. |
Sir Robert Peel, Bt. | 30 August 1841 – 29 June 1846 | Lady Peel (Julia Floyd) |
|
Lord John Russell later The Earl Russell |
30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852 | Lady John Russell (Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound) later The Countess Russell |
Russell's second wife. |
The Earl of Derby | 23 February – 17 December 1852 | The Countess of Derby (Emma Bootle-Wilbraham) |
|
The Earl of Aberdeen | 19 December 1852 – 30 January 1855 | The Countess of Aberdeen (Harriet Douglas) formerly The Viscountess Hamilton |
Aberdeen's second marriage, and the Countess' second marriage. |
The Viscount Palmerston | 6 February 1855 – 19 February 1858 | The Viscountess Palmerston (Emily Lamb) formerly The Countess Cowper |
The Viscountess' second marriage. Sister of The Viscount Melbourne. |
The Earl of Derby | 20 February 1858 – 11 June 1859 | The Countess of Derby (Emma Bootle-Wilbraham) |
|
The Viscount Palmerston | 12 June 1859 – 16 October 1865 | The Viscountess Palmerston (Emily Lamb) formerly The Countess Cowper |
|
The Earl Russell | 29 October 1865 – 26 June 1866 | The Countess Russell (Lady Frances Elliot-Murray-Kynynmound) |
|
The Earl of Derby | 28 June 1866 – 25 February 1868 | The Countess of Derby (Emma Bootle-Wilbraham) |
|
Benjamin Disraeli | 27 February – 1 December 1868 | Mrs. Disraeli (Mary Anne Evans) formerly Mrs. Wyndham Lewis The Viscountess Beaconsfield in her own right (1868) |
Mrs. Disraeli's second marriage. |
William Ewart Gladstone | 3 December 1868 – 17 February 1874 | Mrs. Gladstone (Catherine Glynne) |
|
Benjamin Disraeli The Earl of Beaconsfield (1876) |
20 February 1874 – 21 April 1880 | None | Widower: Disraeli's wife, The Viscountess Beaconsfield, had died in 1872. |
William Ewart Gladstone | 23 April 1880 – 9 June 1885 | Mrs. Gladstone (Catherine Glynne) |
|
The Marquess of Salisbury | 23 June 1885 – 28 January 1886 | The Marchioness of Salisbury (Georgina Alderson) |
|
William Ewart Gladstone | 1 February – 20 July 1886 | Mrs. Gladstone (Catherine Glynne) |
|
The Marquess of Salisbury | 25 July 1886 – 11 August 1892 | The Marchioness of Salisbury (Georgina Alderson) |
|
William Ewart Gladstone | 15 August 1892 – 2 March 1894 | Mrs. Gladstone (Catherine Glynne) |
|
The Earl of Rosebery | 5 March 1894 – 22 June 1895 | None | Widower: Lord Rosebery's wife, The Countess of Rosebery (Hannah de Rothschild), had died in 1890. |
The Marquess of Salisbury | 25 June 1895 – 20 November 1899 | The Marchioness of Salisbury (Georgina Alderson) |
Lady Salisbury died in 1899. |
20 November 1899 – 11 July 1902 | None | ||
Arthur Balfour later The Earl of Balfour |
11 July 1902 – 5 December 1905 | None | Bachelor: Arthur Balfour never married. |
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman | 5 December 1905 – 30 August 1906 | Lady Campbell-Bannerman (Charlotte Bruce) |
Lady Campbell-Bannerman died in 1906. |
30 August 1906 – 3 April 1908 | None | Widower | |
Herbert Henry Asquith later The Earl of Oxford and Asquith |
5 April 1908 – 5 December 1916 | Mrs. Asquith (Margot Tennant) later The Countess of Oxford and Asquith |
Asquith's second wife. |
David Lloyd George later The Earl Lloyd-George of Dwyfor |
6 December 1916 – 19 October 1922 | Mrs. Lloyd George (Margaret Owen) Dame Margaret Lloyd George (1920) |
Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1920. |
Andrew Bonar Law | 23 October 1922 – 20 May 1923 | None | Widower: Bonar Law's wife, Mrs. Law (Annie Robley), had died in 1909. |
Stanley Baldwin | 23 May 1923 – 16 January 1924 | Mrs. Baldwin (Lucy Ridsdale) |
|
Ramsay MacDonald | 22 January – 4 November 1924 | None | Widower: MacDonald's wife, Mrs. McDonald (Margaret Gladstone), had died in 1911. Their daughter Ishbel MacDonald acted as hostess during MacDonald's term. |
Stanley Baldwin | 4 November 1924 – 5 June 1929 | Mrs. Baldwin (Lucy Ridsdale) |
|
Ramsay MacDonald | 5 June 1929 – 7 June 1935 | None | Widower: MacDonald's wife, Mrs. McDonald (Margaret Gladstone), had died in 1911. Their daughter Ishbel MacDonald acted as hostess during MacDonald's term. |
Stanley Baldwin later The Earl Baldwin of Bewdley |
7 June 1935 – 28 May 1937 | Mrs. Baldwin (Lucy Ridsdale) later Dame Lucy Baldwin, The Countess Baldwin of Bewdley |
Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1937. |
Neville Chamberlain | 28 May 1937 – 10 May 1940 | Mrs. Chamberlain (Anne de Vere Cole) |
|
Winston Churchill | 10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945 | Mrs. Churchill (Clementine Hozier) |
|
Clement Attlee later The Earl Attlee |
27 July 1945 – 26 October 1951 | Mrs. Attlee (Violet Millar) later The Countess Attlee |
|
Winston Churchill Sir Winston Churchill (1953) |
26 October 1951 – 6 April 1955 | Dame Clementine Churchill (Clementine Hozier) Lady Churchill (1953) later The Baroness Spencer-Churchill in her own right (1965) |
Created Dame Grand Cross of the Order of the British Empire (GBE) in 1946. |
Sir Anthony Eden later The Earl of Avon |
6 April 1955 – 9 January 1957 | Lady Eden (Clarissa Spencer-Churchill) later The Countess of Avon |
Eden's second wife. |
Harold Macmillan later The Earl of Stockton |
11 January 1957 – 19 October 1963 | Lady Dorothy Macmillan (Lady Dorothy Cavendish) |
|
Sir Alec Douglas-Home The Earl of Home (until 1963) later The Lord Home of the Hirsel |
20 October 1963 – 16 October 1964 | Lady Douglas-Home (Elizabeth Alington) The Countess of Home (until 1963) later The Lady Home of the Hirsel |
For the first three days of his premiership, Alec Douglas-Home was the 14th Earl of Home until he renounced his peerages, and Elizabeth was The Countess of Home. |
Harold Wilson | 16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970 | Mrs. Wilson (Mary Baldwin) |
|
Edward Heath later Sir Edward Heath |
19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974 | None | Bachelor: Edward Heath never married. |
Harold Wilson later The Lord Wilson of Rievaulx |
4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976 | Mrs. Wilson (Mary Baldwin) later The Lady Wilson of Rievaulx |
|
James Callaghan later The Lord Callaghan of Cardiff |
5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979 | Mrs. Callaghan (Audrey Moulton) later The Lady Callaghan of Cardiff |
|
Margaret Thatcher later The Baroness Thatcher |
4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990 | Mr. Thatcher (Denis Thatcher) later Sir Denis Thatcher, Bt. |
First male spouse. Mr. Thatcher's second marriage. The Baronetcy of Thatcher of Scotney was awarded to him in 1990. |
John Major later Sir John Major |
28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997 | Mrs. Major (Norma Johnson) later Dame Norma Major, Lady Major |
Created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 1999 |
Tony Blair | 2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007 | Mrs. Blair (Cherie Booth) |
|
Gordon Brown | 27 June 2007 – 11 May 2010 | Mrs. Brown (Sarah Jane Macaulay) |
|
David Cameron | 11 May 2010 – | Mrs. Cameron (Samantha Sheffield) |
See also
- List of Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom
- Spouse of the Prime Minister of Australia
- Spouse of the Prime Minister of Canada
References
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