On an unassuming Saturday that promised morning showers, the prime minister’s residence in Canberra was bustling with activity.<\/p>\n
The Lodge’s lush lawns had been manicured, and its lavender hedges were in full bloom \u2014 a scene perfectly fit for a cottage wedding.<\/p>\n
It was at this hallowed property that Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon married, taking much of Canberra by surprise.<\/p>\n
The couple can trace their shared history back five years to an autumn night when they crossed paths at a business dinner in Melbourne.<\/p>\n
But the historic nature of their secretly planned wedding at The Lodge runs far deeper.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon’s wedding will go down in history. (Supplied)<\/p>\n
As the newlyweds celebrate, we take a look at some of the ways the day has marked Australian history.<\/p>\n
A prime ministerial wedding<\/p>\n
Of the 31 people to serve as Australia’s prime minister since Federation, Mr Albanese is one of just three to have done so without a spouse.<\/p>\n
John McEwen, who took charge after the disappearance of Harold Holt in 1967, came to office a widower.<\/p>\n
It wasn’t until 2010 when Julia Gillard won a leadership spill that another unmarried leader would take on the prime ministership.<\/p>\n
But Mr Albanese is the first of this exclusive cohort to marry while in office.<\/p>\n
Even worldwide, he adds his name to a very small list of democratically elected leaders.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Boris and Carrie Johnson held their wedding reception in the garden of 10 Downing Street.\u00a0 (AP: Rebecca Fulton\/Downing Street)<\/p>\n
Boris Johnson became the first British prime minister in nearly 200 years to marry while in office when he wed Carrie Symonds under pandemic restrictions at Westminster Abbey in 2021.<\/p>\n
He followed only two prime ministers in the 18th and 19th centuries.<\/p>\n
Just within living memory is the most recent US presidential wedding of Woodrow Wilson to Edith Bolling Galt at her home in Washongton, DC on December 18, 1915.<\/p>\n
When he slipped away for what he said was a ski trip in 1971, Pierre Trudeau became the only Canadian prime minister to wed while in office.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Peter Dutton joked the nuptials would be Australia’s “royal wedding” when the engagement was announced.\u00a0 (ABC News: Nick Haggarty)<\/p>\n
Such occasions are so rare, Peter Dutton described the nuptials as “our version of the royal wedding” when he congratulated Mr Albanese on his engagement last year.<\/p>\n
“I will be there, throwing roses out in front of you, prime minister,” he joked.<\/p>\n
“Whatever it takes to get an invite to the gala wedding.”<\/p>\n
A unique venue<\/p>\n
Standing at 5 Adelaide Avenue, Deakin for almost 100 years, The Lodge has seen its fair share of Australian history.<\/p>\n
Foreign dignitaries and state leaders have passed through its halls during diplomatic receptions and social gatherings.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The Lodge is often used to host suites of diplomats and distinguished guests. (Reuters: Mick Tsikas)<\/p>\n
But until Saturday, it had never hosted a wedding.<\/p>\n
The closest it came was in 1955, when Heather Menzies, the daughter of Robert Menzies, spent the morning there before she married diplomat Peter Henderson<\/p>\n
She rode with her father from the prime minister’s residence to St Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, where members of the public gathered outside.<\/p>\n
The Hendersons’ reception was held at University House at the Australian National University.<\/p>\n
It makes the prime minister’s residence perhaps one of the most exclusive wedding venues in the world.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The White House was most recently used as a wedding venue by Joe Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi. (Reuters: Sarah Silbiger)<\/p>\n
The Lodge beats even the White House on this front, which has hosted 19 ceremonies and a handful of receptions since 1812.<\/p>\n
John Tyler, the 10th president of the US, and Julia Gardner held a reception at the White House days after they married at the Church of Ascension in New York.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Anthony Albanese and Jodie Haydon have lived at The Lodge since 2022. (AAP: Lukas Coch)<\/p>\n
Grover Cleveland and Frances Folsom later chose the Executive Mansion for their ceremony in 1886.<\/p>\n
Most recently was the wedding of former president Joe Biden’s granddaughter, Naomi King Biden, to Peter George Heermann Neal in 2022.<\/p>\n
Still, the Lodge was perhaps a natural choice of wedding venue for Mr Albanese and Ms Haydon.<\/p>\n
It has been their home for most of their relationship \u2014 a setting for quiet nights in with the prime ministerial pooch Toto, birthdays and other milestones.<\/p>\n
When the prime minister first announced their engagement, it was with a selfie taken inside the residence’s dining room.<\/p>\n
A day later, the couple held an official press conference on its lawns, thanking the public for their support.<\/p>\n
“We are so lucky to have found each other,” the said in 2024.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jodie Haydon and Anthony Albanese held a warm press conference the day after their engagement. (AAP: Lukas Coch)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"On an unassuming Saturday that promised morning showers, the prime minister’s residence in Canberra was bustling with activity.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":316068,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[8932,2324,64,63,2667,1571,112450,178572,178571,44,3778,6895,178536,22676],"class_list":["post-316067","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-australia","tag-albanese","tag-anthony-albanese","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-canberra","tag-history","tag-jodie-haydon","tag-married","tag-marry","tag-news","tag-photos","tag-prime-minister","tag-the-lodge","tag-wedding"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316067","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=316067"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/316067\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/316068"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=316067"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=316067"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=316067"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}