Trudeaus announce separation after 18 years of marriage

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire Trudeau are separating after 18 years of marriage.

The announcement was made Wednesday (Aug. 2) in statements posted to Instagram, with both saying they have made the decision after “many meaningful and difficult conversations.”

“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,” reads the statements from Trudeau.

“As always, we remain a close family with deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and continue to build.”

Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau met as children, reconnecting as adults and were married in a ceremony in Montreal in May 2005.

The couple have three children – 15-year-old Xavier, 14-year-old Ella-Grace and nine-year-old Hadrien.

The prime minister asked for privacy “for the well-being of our children.”

Trudeau is the second prime minister to announce a separation while in office – his father, Pierre Trudeau, separated from wife Margaret in 1979 and were divorced in 1984.

With files from The Canadian Press