Boris Johnson has been a big name in British politics for many years. As Prime Minister of the U.K., he was the individual charged with overseeing his country’s exit from the EU.
Having served as London’s mayor for a successful spell, he was lauded by many and tipped to one day be one of the UK’s best leaders.
At the same time as he had legions of fans, however, many also deemed him unfit to be Prime Minister. Indeed, he has survived many scandals over the years.
Before he turned to politics, Boris had a questionable record in other fields. The 58-year-old has also been married three times, trying the knot with current wife Carrie Johnson, 34, late last year.
So who is Johnson’s latest wife? How did he grow to become a heavyweight in British politics? Here’s all you need to know about his life and family.
Boris Johnson was born in New York City on June 19, 1964. Looking back at his childhood, he’s quoted as having stated it was very happy. According to a USA Today piece back in November 2014, he’s a direct descendant of King George II.
Boris Johnson – childhood
As he was born in New York City, Johnson has two passports. In fact, his first year of life was spent in New York. The future Prime Minister came into the world on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, as his father had pursued a career as a creative writer after landing scholarship and moving to the U.S. However, things didn’t entirely turn out the way Johnson wanted them to.
Boris spent his first few months of life in a single-room apartment across from the legendary Chelsea Hotel. In his first 14 years alone, Boris and his family moved more than 30 times, including to Washington D.C., after his father got a job at World Bank.
They also ended up living in Brussels, Belgium. Then, when he and his younger sister were 11 and 10 respectively, they were sent to a British boarding school to live without their parents. Ultimately, this helped Boris prepare for a lot in life.
“I had an immensely lucky upbringing – it would be madness to deny that. I’ve been attended by every possible privilege that the English system can provide,” Johnson said.
“I had a wonderful, happy childhood and then quite a cosmopolitan education all over the world, in Washington and Brussels and then briefly at an English prep school, which kind of tee’d me up for Eton. I suppose in Marxist terms, I am a product of the English Haute bourgeoisie – though actually my antecedents are very diverse, and many of them are not from this country – and many are not particularly well off or whatever.”
After attending boarding school in England, Johnson earned a scholarship to the famous Eton College.
Education and work in journalism
The “vibrant and progressive boarding school for boys aged 13-18” has, in the past, had pupils including Princes William and Harry. It was during his time at the famous school that something happened to Boris.
He grew from being a shy, unremarkable child into a popular and outspoken young man. According to Sonia Purnell, author of the biography, Just Boris, he became a “fully-fledged school celebrity.” He was the editor of the school magazine, as well as the president of the debating society.
Sir Eric Anderson was the housemaster – the title given to a male faculty member serving as resident director of a boys’ dormitory at a preparatory school – at Eton when Johnson was a student. Previously, Anderson had been the housemaster of another former British Prime Minister, Tony Blair. When asked about the most interesting pupil he’d ever had, he replied, “without a doubt, Boris Johnson.”
Boris went on to study at Balliol College in Oxford, where he became the president of the Oxford Union. After graduating, he briefly considered moving on to working as a management consultant. Instead, his career turned to journalism after he met journalist Frank Johnson (not related) during a New Year’s Eve party hosted by his then-fiancee Allegra Mostyn Owen’s family.
Boris got his introduction and training as a journalist at the Wolverhampton Express & Star.
Later, he stated that Wolverhampton was where “he knew he was a Conservative.”
Boris Johnson – journalism scandals
He claimed that local Labour politicians had “no interest” in fixing the city’s housing problems, which he was reporting on at the time.
“My mistakes are too numerous to list in full, but one stands out that still makes me hang my head in shame,” Johnson told The Independent.
“I had discovered a lawnmower shop that needed sales assistants, but no one was applying for the job. I couldn’t understand it and wrote this irate comment piece about people scrounging benefits. I’d been in Wolverhampton only about a month, and it was unsurpassed right-wing drivel. I suppose it was intellectually justified, but nonetheless it was condescending, and I felt afterward like an Oxbridge graduate who had just arrived and was declaring everyone shirkers. I very much regret that.”
So how was it working with Boris? Jon Griffin was his boss during the Wolverhampton days, recalling him as a “slightly shambling, friendly, endearingly unkempt character who wore a brown overcoat and a constant semi-grin.”
However, his journalistic career was filled with scandals. As a 23-year-old Times trainee, Johnson was sacked just months after starting because he fabricated quotes from his godfather, Colin Lucas. He was a historian, and the quotes were an attempt to take speculation about Edward II’s supposed lover, Piers Gaveston, and turn it into a front-page news story.
Boris didn’t give up, though. Instead, through his contacts he managed through to get a job at the Daily Telegraph, landing a gig as their correspondent in Brussels.
“A man of remarkable gifts”
One of his first assignments became meeting the U.K.’s ambassador to the EU, David Hannay.
“I said: ‘Well, nice to see you Alexander,'” Hannay recalled in an interview with The Guardian. “And he said: ‘I’d rather you call me Boris.’ And I did think that was slightly odd, but I didn’t think much more of it at the time.”
Boris specialized in exaggerated E.U. stories, often writing about things that helped turn British opinion against the bloc.
Johnson’s former boss at the Telegraph, Max Hastings, recalled that he was “a man of remarkable gifts, flawed by an absence of conscience, principle or scruple.”
Boris would go on to become a rather famous journalist. He left the job in 1994 to work as an assistant editor until 1999. He also became a political columnist for The Spectator, becoming editor in 1999, a role he kept until 2005.
By that time, Johnson had become increasingly more political, and so decided the time was time to head into politics for real.
“Public service is massively important to me,” Johnson explained of the decision to leave journalism.
“I went through a midlife crisis that began when I was about 30. I decided that as a journalist, it was too easy to knock people, to beat them up. It’s less easy to try to do something.”
Boris Johnson – political career and “Partygate”
Through appearances on television programs and shows, Johnson quickly rose to become one of the country’s most well-known politicians. In 2001, he was elected a member of Parliament, and was re-elected four years later.
In 2008, Boris succeeded in becoming the Mayor of London, an office he would hold for two years before returning to Parliament. After that, he managed to claim his most significant achievement yet, taking over from Theresa May as Prime Minister of England. Three years ago, he led the Conservatives to their most significant election victory since 1987, and was on the front line to oversee the U.K.’s leaving of the European Union.
However, as readers will likely have heard, Boris Johnson has now resigned. Several scandals – including the infamous “Partygate” – where he was fined for breaking his own COVID-19 lockdown rules after attending a gathering on his birthday in June 2020 – have led to his downfall. What Johnson will do next is remains unclear, though it’s beyond certain that he’ll now be able to spend more time with his family.
Johnson’s private life includes several marriages – and affairs – as well as children.
Let’s take a brief look at his dating history – and who he is married to now.
Boris met his first wife, cover girl and socialite Allegra Mostyn-Owen, while studying at Oxford. The couple tied the knot in 1987, both aged 23 years of age.
Boris Johnson –family, wife, divorce, children, net worth
Sadly, it was not meant to be. Johnson reportedly had an affair with his childhood friend, Marina Wheeler, and he and Mostyn-Owen divorced.
Allegra later described their wedding day as “the end of the relationship, rather than the beginning. Fortunately, it seems as though they are on good terms, as Allegra commented, “he’s a better ex than husband.”
As per reports, Marina was pregnant with their first of her and Johnson’s four children before the divorce with Allegra was finalized. In fact, just weeks after the divorce was settled, in 1993, Marina and Boris welcomed their first daughter, Lara.
Marina and Boris met as children at the European School in Brussels, while his father worked at the European Commission. They went on to welcome three further children: Milo Arthur, Cassia Peaches, and Theodore Apollo.
Boris and Marina stayed married for 25 years, though their marriage was a turbulent one (Johson allegedly had several affairs during this time). Amongst others, he was said to have had an affair with fellow journalist Petronella Wyatt while he was her editor in 2004. Johnson denied all rumors.
“I had not had an affair with Petronella,” Johnson said at the time. “It is complete balderdash. It is an inverted pyramid of piffle.”
“You’re never going to change him”
Two years later, in 2006, Boris had another alleged affair with journalist Anna Fazackerley.
According to reports, Marina threw him out of their home after news of that affair reached the public, though she and Johnson were able to work things out again soon after.
Another affair with art consultant Helen Macintyre was reported in 2010. Despite attempts to keep his secret intact, court rulings showed that she had given birth to their child in 2009.
Moreover, Johnson was said to have had an affair with Jennifer Arcuri that went on for years. The businesswoman eventually spoke out on the romance, confessing that they met weekly.
“The truth is, with men – this isn’t to excuse them – you have to know the beast,” she said. “This is who he is. You’re never going to change him, you’re never going to make him want what you want just because you want it.”
Jennifer added: “I’m not a victim. I’m not losing sleep over this any more. But it says a lot about the character of the man.”
Finally, Marina had had enough, and she and Johnson eventually announced a divorce that was finalized in 2020.
Who is Boris Johnson’s wife Carrie Johnson?
“Mum is finished with him. She’ll never take him back,” Boris’s daughter Lara said.
In 2020, though, Johnson tied the knot for a third time, marrying Carrie Symonds in London’s Westminster Cathedral.
It’s not clear where the couple met, but Boris and Carrie, 24 years younger than him, worked together together on his re-election campaign for the Mayor of London role.
In 2020, a spokesperson announced that Johnson and Carrie were expecting a son, Wilfred Lawrie Nicholas Johnson. Last year, the couple welcomed a daughter, Romy Iris Charlotte.
So what does Carrie Johnson do? Well, she’s worked as a press officer for the Conservative Party and a Special Advisor to two Secretaries of State.
At age 29, she became the Head of Communications for the Conservative Party, while also working for ocean conservation charity Oceana.
It’s hard to know what will be next for Boris Johnson, his wife Carrie, and their two young children. Do you think he will stay in politics, or not? Give us your opinion in the comment section.
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