Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife, Sophie Gregoire Trudeau, have announced that they are separating after 18 years of marriage.
The two said in statements posted on Instagram on Wednesday that they made the decision after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.”
Mr Trudeau’s statement read: “Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate.
“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build. For the wellbeing of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy.”
A statement from the prime minister’s office said both have signed a legal separation agreement. The couple were married in 2005.
In a wedding anniversary post in May 2022, Mrs Gregoire Trudeau wrote: “You all know I keep things honest: long-term relationships are challenging in so many ways.
“They demand constant work, flexibility, compromise, sacrifice, devotion, patience, effort, and so much more.”
The couple have three children, 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and 9-year-old Hadrien.
“They remain a close family and Sophie and the prime minister are focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment,” the statement from Mr Trudeau’s office said.
“The family will be together on vacation, beginning next week.”
After Mr Trudeau, now 51, became prime minister in late 2015, he and Mrs Gregoire Trudeau, now 48, were often seen together at social functions and on foreign trips.
But in recent years, Mrs Gregoire Trudeau has curtailed such appearances with her husband.
The two of them did travel to London in May for the coronation of King Charles and were together when US President Joe Biden visited in late March.
Mr Trudeau gave a news conference on Monday and took a ride on the Toronto subway that night but has had no public appearances scheduled for the last two days.
His office requested respect for their privacy. Mr Trudeau is the second prime minister to announce a separation while in office.
His father, Pierre Trudeau, separated from wife Margaret in 1979, and the two divorced in 1984.
Justin Trudeau channeled the star power of his Liberal icon father when he first won office in 2015.
Scandals, voter fatigue and economic inflation have taken a toll on his popularity after eight years in power.
