Spouses of the Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom

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The spouse of the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom has no formal or constitutional role in the British political system. This is partly a reflection of the fact that the British Prime Minister is not the head of state (see Monarchy of the United Kingdom).

Some spouses, such as Norma Major have chosen to remain very much in the background; others, such as Cherie Blair have gained public attention through their own independent careers and achievements.

To date, 44 women and one man have been married to the British Prime Minister whilst in office. The United Kingdom has also had four bachelor and several widower Prime Ministers, the last bachelor being Edward Heath, and the last widower being Ramsay MacDonald.

[edit] List of spouses of the British Prime Minister

Prime Minister	Dates	Spouse	Notes
Sir Robert Walpole	4 April 1721 – 20 August 1737	Catherine, Lady Walpole	Walpole's first wife, she died in 1737.
	20 August 1737 – c.3 March 1738	None	Following Catherine's death, Walpole was a widower until he remarried.
	c.3 March – 4 June 1738	Maria, Lady Walpole	The second wife of Sir Robert Walpole, she died in childbirth in 1738.
	4 June 1738 – 11 February 1742	None	Sir Robert Walpole remained a widower after his second wife's death.
The Earl of Wilmington	16 February 1742 – 2 July 1743	None	Lord Wilmington never married.
Henry Pelham	27 August 1743 – 6 March 1754	The Lady Catherine Pelham
The Duke of Newscastle	16 March 1754 – 16 November 1756	Henrietta, The Duchess of Newcastle
The Duke of Devonshire	16 November 1756 – 25 June 1757	None	The Duke of Devonshire's wife, Charlotte, Marchioness of Hartington, died in 1754, before he came to office.
The Duke of Newscastle	2 July 1757 – 26 May 1762	Henrietta, The Duchess of Newcastle
The Earl of Bute	26 May 1762 – 16 April 1763	Mary, The Countess of Bute
George Grenville	16 April 1763 – 13 July 1765	Elizabeth Grenville
The Marquess of Rockingham	13 July 1765 – 30 July 1766	Mary, The Marchioness of Rockingham
The Earl of Chatham	30 July 1766 – 14 October 1768	Hester, The Countess of Chatham
The Duke of Grafton	14 October 1768 – 28 January 1770	Elizabeth, The Duchess of Grafton
Lord North	28 January 1770 – 22 March 1782	Anne, Lady North
The Marquess of Rockingham	27 March – 1 July 1782	Mary, The Marchioness of Rockingham
The Earl of Shelburne	4 July 1782 – 2 April 1783	Louisa, The Countess of Shelburne
The Duke of Portland	2 April – 19 December 1783	Dorothy, The Duchess of Portland
William Pitt the Younger	19 December 1783 – 14 March 1801	None	Pitt the Younger never married.
Henry Addington	17 March 1801 – 10 May 1804	Ursua Addington
William Pitt the Younger	10 May 1804 – 23 January 1806	None	Pitt the Younger never married.
The Lord Grenville	11 February 1806 – 31 March 1807	Anne, The Lady Grenville
The Duke of Portland	31 March 1807 – 4 October 1809	Dorothy, The Duchess of Portland
Spencer Perceval	4 October 1809 – 11 May 1812	Jane Perceval
The Earl of Liverpool	8 June 1812 – 9 April 1827	Louisa, The Countess of Liverpool
George Canning	10 April – 8 August 1827	Joan Canning
The Viscount Goderich	31 August 1827 – 21 January 1828	Sarah, The Viscountess Goderich
The Duke of Wellington	22 January 1828 – 16 November 1830	Catherine, The Duchess of Wellington
The Earl Grey	22 November 1830 – 9 July 1834	Mary, The Countess Grey
The Viscount Melbourne	16 July – 14 November 1834	None	Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb, died in 1828.
The Duke of Wellington	14 November – 10 December 1834	None	Wellington's wife, Catherine, Duchess of Wellington, died in 1831.
Sir Robert Peel, Bt.	10 December 1834 – 8 April 1835	Julia, Lady Peel
The Viscount Melbourne	18 April 1835 – 30 August 1841	None	Lord Melbourne's wife, Lady Caroline Lamb, died in 1828.
Sir Robert Peel, Bt.	30 August 1841 – 29 June 1846	Julia, Lady Peel
Lord John Russell	30 June 1846 – 21 February 1852	Lady John Russell
The Earl of Derby	23 February – 17 December 1852	Emma, The Countess of Derby
The Earl of Aberdeen	19 December 1852 – 30 January 1855	Harriet, The Countess of Aberdeen
The Viscount Palmerston	6 February 1855 – 19 February 1858	Mary, The Viscountess Palmerston
The Earl of Derby	20 February 1858 – 11 June 1859	Emma, The Countess of Derby
The Viscount Palmerston	12 June 1859 – 16 October 1865	Mary, The Viscountess Palmerston
The Earl Russell	29 October 1865 – 26 June 1866	Frances, The Countess Russell
The Earl of Derby	28 June 1866 – 25 February 1868	Emma, The Countess of Derby
Benjamin Disraeli	27 February – 1 December 1868	Mary Disraeli
William Gladstone	3 December 1868 – 17 February 1874	Catherine Gladstone
Benjamin Disraeli	20 February 1874 – 21 April 1880	None	Disraeli's wife, Mary, who had been made Viscountess Beaconsfield in 1868, died in 1872.
William Gladstone	23 April 1880 – 9 June 1885	Catherine Gladstone
The Marquess of Salisbury	23 June 1885 – 28 January 1886	Georgina, The Marchioness of Salisbury
William Gladstone	1 February – 20 July 1886	Catherine Gladstone
The Marquess of Salisbury	25 July 1886 – 11 August 1892	Georgina, The Marchioness of Salisbury
William Gladstone	15 August 1892 – 2 March 1894	Catherine Gladstone
The Earl of Rosebery	5 March 1894 – 22 June 1895	None	Lord Rosebery's wife, Hannah Primrose, Countess of Rosebery, died in 1890.
The Marquess of Salisbury	25 June 1895 – 20 November 1899	Georgina, The Marchioness of Salisbury	Lady Salisbury died in 1899.
	20 November 1899 – 11 July 1902	None
Arthur Balfour	11 July 1902 – 5 December 1905	None	Arthur Balfour never married.
Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman	5 December 1905 – 30 August 1906	Charlotte, Lady Campbell-Bannerman	Lady Campbell-Bannerman died in 1906.
	30 August 1906 – 3 April 1908	None
H. H. Asquith	5 April 1908 – 5 December 1916	Margot Asquith
David Lloyd George	6 December 1916 – 19 October 1922	Margaret Lloyd George	Margaret Lloyd George was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire in 1920.
Andrew Bonar Law	23 October 1922 – 20 May 1923	None	Andrew Bonar Law's wife, Annie, died in 1909.
Stanley Baldwin	23 May 1923 – 16 January 1924	Lucy Baldwin
Ramsay MacDonald	22 January – 4 November 1924	None	MacDonald's wife, Margaret, died in 1911. Their daughter, Ishbel, acted as hostess.
Stanley Baldwin	4 November 1924 – 5 June 1929	Lucy Baldwin
Ramsay MacDonald	5 June 1929 – 7 June 1935	None	MacDonald's wife, Margaret, died in 1911. Their daughter, Ishbel, acted as hostess.
Stanley Baldwin	7 June 1935 – 28 May 1937	Lucy Baldwin
Neville Chamberlain	28 May 1937 – 10 May 1940	Anne Chamberlain
Winston Churchill	10 May 1940 – 27 July 1945	Clementine Churchill
Clement Atlee	27 July 1945 – 26 October 1951	Violet Attlee
Winston Churchill	26 October 1951 – 7 April 1955	Clementine Churchill	When Winston Churchill was knighted in 1953, Clementine became Lady Churchill.
Sir Anthony Eden	7 April 1955 – 9 January 1957	Clarissa, Lady Eden
Harold Macmillan	11 January 1957 – 19 October 1963	The Lady Dorothy Macmillan
Sir Alec Douglas-Home	20 October 1963 – 16 October 1964	Elizabeth, Lady Douglas-Home	For the first three days of his premiership, Alec Douglas-Home was the 14th Earl of Home until he renounced his peerages. During this time, Elizabeth was The Countess of Home.
Harold Wilson	16 October 1964 – 19 June 1970	Mary Wilson
Edward Heath	19 June 1970 – 4 March 1974	None	Edward Heath never married.
Harold Wilson	4 March 1974 – 5 April 1976	Mary Wilson
James Callaghan	5 April 1976 – 4 May 1979	Audrey Callaghan
Margaret Thatcher	4 May 1979 – 28 November 1990	Denis Thatcher	First male spouse
John Major	28 November 1990 – 2 May 1997	Norma Major
Tony Blair	2 May 1997 – 27 June 2007	Cherie Blair
Gordon Brown	27 June 2007 –	Sarah Brown