Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese took a leave of absence from running the country on Wednesday to celebrate Valentine's Day and propose to his partner, Jodi Haydon.
The Albanese announced their engagement on Thursday with a photo of the beaming couple captioned “She said yes” on social media. In the photo, Haydon is wearing the engagement ring that her fiancé helped design.
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– Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) February 15, 2024
“It gives me great pleasure to be able to find a partner with whom I want to spend the rest of my life,” Albanese said in an interview with Sky on Thursday.
After a Valentine's Day date at an Italian restaurant, Albanese popped the question on the balcony of the Prime Minister's official residence in Canberra.
Haydon, who worked for many years in the pension funds sector, said she was overwhelmed by the congratulations the couple had received.
“I just want to thank everyone for the warm congratulations today, from our friends to our family, and from people we don't know,” he said in an interview with Sky.
Local media reported that the couple met at an event in Melbourne in early 2020, and their engagement was the first for a sitting prime minister.
Opposition Leader Peter Dutton, a usually fierce critic, congratulated the couple in Parliament and said he was looking forward to “our version” of a royal wedding.
“I will be there to throw flowers at you, Prime Minister, whatever it takes to invite you to the wedding,” he said.
Government ministers took to social media to congratulate the couple. Foreign Minister Penny Wong, who has known Albanians for decades, said “love is a beautiful thing” in a social media post.
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