Boris Johnson tied the knot with Carrie Symonds so she would not feel ‘awkward’ at the G7 and Balmoral, political insiders have claimed.
The small wedding was put on in response to the upcoming global summit, which will see world leaders and their spouses mingling, it has been reported.
From June 11 to 13 Mrs Johnson, 33, will host the first ladies and gentleman at the UK event, including Joe Biden's wife Jill and Japanese prime minister’s wife, Mariko Suga.
France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron, 68, Joachim Sauer, 72, husband of German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, 46, wife of Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau will also be in attendance.
One Tory source told the Mail on Sunday : "It wouldn’t have been impossible but it would have been awkward for her to go as a girlfriend.
"Some countries, such as Japan, are quite traditional about it – they want wives mixing with wives."
The Cornwall summit will be the first major engagement following the Johnson's couples secret wedding in Westminster.
Sources have also claimed that the couple wanted to marry before they visit Balmoral again, have reportedly made the Queen 'uncomfortable' with their unmarried status in 2019.
The couple married in a private Catholic ceremony at Westminster Cathedral last Saturday, with a small group of family and friends present.
The ceremony at Westminster Cathedral, less than two miles from Downing Street, was the culmination of a six month "cloak and dagger" operation, insiders claim.
So secretive were the plans that even senior members of staff in Mr Johnson's office were kept in the dark about yesterday's wedding to Carrie Symonds.
Number 10 only confirmed in a brief statement a day later that the ceremony had taken place.
The 56-year-old PM and his 33-year-old bride were only allowed to invite 30 guests thanks to Covid regulations, having opted - unlike thousands of other couples across the UK - not to put their nuptials back.
She wore a £2,870 gown by Greek-based luxury designer Christos Costarellos, it has been reported.
Guests are believed to have been invited at the last minute to the ceremony, with bemused tourists ushered out of the building shortly before their arrival.
They later celebrated at a marquee in the garden at Number 10, according to reports, with the couple said to have danced to Don McLean song American Pie.
