Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau‘s children will continue to live with him following the split from his wife Sophie, who has already moved out, the pair announced today.
Trudeau, 51, announced the separation on Instagram today in matching posts written in both English and French. His office also released a statement to confirm they had reached a legal agreement and reveal that the pair will remain amicable, holidaying together soon with their three kids.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau has already moved out of the family home to another residence in Ottawa, the spokesman added.
‘They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken, and will continue to do so moving forward.
Canada’s Globe and Mail reports that the pair will share custody of their three children.
Trudeau will remain at Rideau Cottage with the children, but Sophie has already moved to a different property in Ottawa.
Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire Trudeau (shown on July 1st) announced their separation today
She will frequent Rideau Cottage to be with the children and will stay there whenever Trudeau is traveling.
‘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 family will be together on vacation, beginning next week,’ the statement read.
In his Instagram post, Trudeau, 51, wrote: ‘Hi everyone,
‘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 we will continue to build.
‘For the well-being of our children, we ask that you respect our and their privacy.’
Trudeau outside Rideau Cottage in Ottawa. He will remain there with the children
Trudeau was last seen riding the subway on TTC’s annual Emancipation Day Underground Freedom Train Ride in Toronto, Ontario, Canada July 31, 2023
The Trudeau family at home in 2021. Children Ella-Grace, right, Xavier, center, and Hadrien, left, are pictured
Trudeau and Sophie at the Coronation of King Charles III on May 6
The pair at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II in September
Trudeau was also filmed belting out a rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody while in London for the somber occasion
The pair have been married since 2005 and share three children, the youngest of whom is nine.
Sophie was a childhood friend and classmate of Trudeau’s older brother Michel, who died in an avalanche in 1998 aged 23.
They began dating in 2003 after reconnecting as adults and were engaged a short time afterwards.
Sophie is the Canadian Prime Minister’s first wife.
In April, he gushed over his wife in an Instagram post to mark her birthday.
‘Happy birthday, Sophie. From this, to this, and everything in between, there’s no one I’d rather have by my side… I love you, mon amour,’ he said.
Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire on their wedding day in 2005
The pair on March 24 during Joe Biden’s visit to the House of Commons of Canada
She returned the affection on June 18 on Father’s Day.
‘This man could carry the love he has for his kids anywhere. Dads, never underestimate your role as mentors in your family for your sons and your daughters.
‘Be kind to yourselves, check on your mental well-being, slow down in silence when needed… and most of all, take the risk of loving with everything you got,’ she wrote.
Last year, in another romantic post to commemorate their 17th wedding anniversary, Sophie wrote: ‘Together for 19 years, married for 17, we have navigated through sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between and it ain’t over.
In November, Sophie was interviewed for Meghan Markle’s podcast Archetypes. She spoke about marriage and motherhood
Sophie and Meghan have been friends for several years. Meghan’s closest friend, Jessica Mulroney, is the daughter-in-law of former Canadian PM Brian Mulroney
Sophie Trudeau and Meghan Markle in previously-shared social media photos
‘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.
‘None of us are perfect and so there is no perfect relationship, but love is only true when it keeps you safe, sets you free, and makes you grow. Omnia Vincit Amor.’
She did not post anything about their marriage this year which fell on the day of Tina Turner’s death. Instead, she paid tribute to the late singer.
In April, Trudeau gushed over his wife in a tribute on her birthday
Trudeau with wife Sophie and their children Ella-Grace, Hadrien and Xavier in 2021
Sophie’s Instagram post on the couple’s 16th wedding anniversary in 2021
Their separation is the first of any sitting Canadian prime minister since his own parents’ separation in 1977.
Their marriage and split fueled rampant rumor and speculation, among the most salacious of which was whether Trudeau was the lovechild of Cuban leader Fidel Castro – an unfounded claim that his office was forced to deny in 2018.
In his memoir, he talked of the anguish of having divorced parents, which he said left him with ‘a sense of diminished self worth.’
After his parents announced their separation, his mother Margaret was spotted at Studio 54 regularly and with an array of famous boyfriends.
In her 1982 memoir Consequences, Margaret revealed that she had affairs with actors Jack Nicholson and Ryan O’Neal and singer Lou Rawls.
She also partied with The Rolling Stones and was rumored to have hooked up with frontman Mick Jagger, who recalled to the Evening Standard that Margaret was a ‘very sick girl in search of something.’
‘She found it – but not with me. I wouldn’t go near her with a barge pole,’ he said.
Trudeau’s parents Margaret and Pierre were married for just six years before announcing their separation in 1977. At the time, his father was Prime Minister
Trudeau’s mother Margaret at Studio 54 with Bruce Nevins after she announced her separation from his father