She's fast establishing herself as a sustainable fashion icon, and with a high flying career of her own, we find out more about the Prime Minister's wife, Carrie Johnson...
Carrie Johnson is a relatively new name in the world of politics, having left her maiden name Carrie Symonds behind when she married Prime Minister Boris Johnson in May this year. Since then, Carrie has made increasingly frequent public appearances, and considering we’re only going to be seeing more of her in the coming months, we thought you might want to get to know her a little better.
So, here’s everything you might possibly want to know about Carrie Johnson, from her age, to her career, her children, family and more...
How old is Carrie Johnson?
Carrie was born on 17 March, 1988, making her 33-years-old. At 57, her husband Boris Johnson is more than 20 years her senior.
What does Carrie Johnson do?
She may be the Prime Minister’s wife, but Carrie has a well-established career of her own. She works in communications, which is how she came to meet Boris in the first place. After studying at London’s fee-paying Godolphin and Latymer school, Carrie went on to read theatre studies and history of art at the University of Warwick in 2006. While there, she carried out a number of PR & Comms internships, including at Mulberry where she landed her first post-university job.
Carrie swiftly decided to switch gears from fashion to politics, taking a job in 2010 as a campaign director for Conservative MP Zac Goldsmith. Her next move was where she first met Boris Johnson, serving on his ‘Back Boris’ 2012 re-election campaign for the Mayor of London job. Carrie Johnson went on to become communications director for The Conservative Party aged 29, on a rumoured annual salary of £80,000. Not bad going. Now, Carrie focusses her work efforts on animal welfare, heading up the comms for endangered animal charity The Aspinall Foundation. And there, more or less, is Carrie Symonds-turned-Johnson’s CV.
When did Carrie marry Boris Johnson?
Carrie’s relationship with Boris Johnson was public knowledge since 2019, shortly after his separation from ex-wife Marina Wheeler. Carrie moved into Downing Street when Boris was elected Prime Minister in July 2019, but it wasn’t until February of 2020 that the couple revealed they were engaged (conveniently timed just a week or so after Boris and Marina had reached a financial settlement in their divorce).
In a statement simultaneously revealing the news that the couple were also expecting their first baby, Downing Street’s announcement read: “The prime minister and Miss Symonds are very pleased to announce their engagement and that they are expecting a baby in the early summer.”
In a post on her private Instagram account, Carrie also shared her happy update with friends and family. Posting a photo of Boris kissing her on the cheek, she wrote: "I wouldn't normally post this kind of thing on 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.”
Unbeknown to Carrie and Boris at the time, any original wedding plans they had were to be thwarted by the coronavirus pandemic. The pair ended up getting married on 30 May, 2021 in a "small ceremony" at Westminster Cathedral that had been planned in secret. Photographs of the intimate affair, which only 30 guests attended due to COVID restrictions, showed the couple posing together at the reception in the garden of 10 Downing Street.
Carrie's wedding dress was a rented white Christos Costarellos gown, and she also wore a flower garland for the occasion. It was the first time a British Prime Minister had got married while in office in nearly 200 years. The wedding was Boris Johnson’s third marriage, having previously wed Allegra Mostyn-Owen in 1987 and Marina Wheeler in 1993.
How many children does Carrie Johnson have?
Carrie Johnson became a mum for the first time in spring 2020, when she gave birth to a son named Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson on 29 April. A spokeswoman for Downing Street said in a statement at the time: “The prime minister and Ms Symonds are thrilled to announce the birth of a healthy baby boy at a London hospital earlier this morning. Both mother and baby are doing very well. The PM and Ms Symonds would like to thank the fantastic NHS maternity team.”
When his youngest son was born, Boris had not long been discharged from intensive care, where he was receiving treatment for coronavirus. As a result, the couple named their baby in tribute to both of their grandfathers, and also after two doctors who treated the Prime Minister in hospital.
Boris and Carrie have largely kept Wilfred out of the spotlight since his birth, although the one-year-old stole the show when he made an appearance at the G7 summit in Cornwall earlier this summer. Pictured alongside his mum Carrie and the US First Lady, Jill Biden, Wilfred’s head of blonde curls were seen for the first time.
It won’t be long before the toddler has a baby brother or sister to play with, however, as Boris and Carrie Johnson announced in July 2021 that they’re pregnant with a second child. Carrie also revealed in the statement that she had suffered a miscarriage prior to this pregnancy, which will no doubt help to normalise the ongoing stigma surrounding baby loss.
"At the beginning of the year, I had a miscarriage which left me heartbroken. I feel incredibly blessed to be pregnant again but I’ve also felt like a bag of nerves,” Carrie’s statement on her private Instagram account read. "Fertility issues can be really hard for many people, particularly when on platforms like Instagram it can look like everything is only ever going well. I found it a real comfort to hear from people who had also experienced loss so I hope that in some very small way sharing this might help others too."
The couple's baby is due in December 2021.
What fashion is Carrie Johnson into?
You only have to look at her job to know Carrie Johnson understands the importance of sustainability, and that’s a sentiment she follows through into her fashion sense. In just a few short months, the 33-year-old has made something of a name for herself as a sustainable fashion hero, particularly championing dress rentals.
She made the ultimate statement by renting her Christos Costarellos wedding dress for just £45, and at the G7 summit, Carrie went on to do more of the same. She debuted numerous rented outfits during the June week in Cornwall, including a Dolce & Gabbana gown, an Alice Early dress, and other pieces from The Vampire’s Wife, LK Bennett and more. We can’t wait to see what else is to come from the wardrobe of the UK’s First Lady…
Who are Carrie Johnson’s friends and family?
Carrie Johnson’s father, Matthew Symonds, is a well-known name in the journalism industry, having been a co-founder of The Independent newspaper. Carrie grew up in a well-to-do social circle, attending the private Goldolphin and Latymer School, which also has the likes of Kate Beckinsale and Nigella Lawson among its alumni.
Carrie has been high profile for some time now, and it sounds like she’s got the social circle to prove it. According to Tatler, she counts feminist campaigner Nimco Ali and journalist Allegra Stratton among her friends. And when you consider all the senior politicians she’s associated with throughout her career, you can imagine Carrie Johnson has got one hell of a glittering phone book...
