Australian PM Albanese marries partner in private ceremony

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SYDNEY, Nov 29 (Reuters) – Anthony Albanese became the first Australian prime minister to tie the knot while in office when he married his partner Jodie Haydon in a private ceremony on Saturday.

The wedding was widely expected to be held this year after Albanese proposed to Haydon on Valentine’s Day last year. But the date and details of the ceremony were kept tightly under wraps. 

The couple married at a small ceremony in the presence of family and close friends at The Lodge in the capital city Canberra, the prime minister’s office said in a statement.

“We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends,” Albanese said in the statement released to the media.

Haydon has accompanied Albanese to several events over the years and was also with him during his election campaign in 2022 and in May this year, when his Labor party won with a thumping majority. 

Haydon wore a dress by Sydney designer “Romance was Born”, while the prime minister wore a suit from MJ Bale. 

Ms Haydon’s five-year-old niece, Ella, was flower girl, and the prime minister’s dog, Toto, was the ring bearer. 

Guests were served beer in a special can made by Willie the Boatman whose brewery is in Sydney’s Inner West. 

After the ceremony, Albanese and Haydon walked back down the aisle to Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered (I’m Yours)”. Their first dance was to “The Way You Look Tonight” by Frank Sinatra. 

The couple will honeymoon in Australia from Monday until Friday of next week, with all expenses paid privately by Albanese and Haydon, his office said.

(Reporting by Praveen Menon; Editing by Stephen Coates)