Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie are separating and have signed a legal agreement, his office said in a statement on Wednesday that appeared to mark the end of the couple’s 18-year marriage.
The Trudeaus have three children: Xavier who is 15, Ella-Grace who is 14, and Hadrien who is nine.
In a brief statement issued by the prime minister on Instagram, he said that after “many meaningful and difficult conversations” the pair 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,” said Trudeau in his post, which was also shared by Sophie’s account.
For the well-being of their children, the Trudeaus are asking Canadians to respect the family’s privacy at this time.
In a separate release, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) confirmed that the pair have “signed a legal separation agreement.”
“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,” said PMO spokesperson Alison Murphy in the statement.
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Trudeau’s office said that the prime minister and Sophie are “focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving and collaborative environment,” and both will be “a constant presence in their children’s lives.”
Canadians can expect “to often see the family together, and they plan to be together on vacation, beginning next week.”
As a couple, the pair has had a high public and international profile predating Trudeau’s time in elected office.
The two were married on 28 May, 2005 in Montreal, and in an anniversary post last year, Sophie spoke about the pair navigating “sunny days, heavy storms, and everything in between.” In the social media post, she acknowledged that long-term relationships can be “challenging in so many ways.”
The prime minister, 51, and his wife most recently traveled together to London to attend the coronation of King Charles III in May and hosted U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden’s official visit to Ottawa in March.