After 18 years of marriage, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announces separation from his wife
Steph Deschamps / August 4, 2023
After many thoughtful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate," they said on their Instagram accounts, stressing that they "remain(d) a close family ».
The couple have asked for their privacy to be respected, ahead of a family vacation scheduled for next week.
A statement from the Prime Minister's office added that the couple had signed "a legal separation agreement" and that this was not a divorce.
He explains that Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau want to focus on "the development of their children", adding that Canadians can "expect to see the family together a lot ».
Childhood friends, Mr. Trudeau and his wife, a former journalist, met at a charity ball in 2003. They continued dating for a few years before marrying in Montreal in 2005.
Together, they had three children: Xavier, 15, Ella-Grace, 14, and Hadrien, 9.
This is the first separation of a Canadian Prime Minister since Justin Trudeau's father, Pierre Trudeau, separated from Margaret Trudeau and finally divorced in 1984, during the last months of his mandate.