CANBERRA, Australia: Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese married his partner Jodie Haydon in an intimate ceremony over the weekend at his official residence in the national capital, Canberra.

Albanese is the first prime minister to marry while in office in the 124-year history of the Australian federal government.

A civil celebrant conducted the couple's wedding ceremony in the presence of around 60 guests, including several cabinet ministers, in the afternoon at The Lodge. The media did not report the event until after it had occurred.

"We are absolutely delighted to share our love and commitment to spending our future lives together, in front of our family and closest friends," the couple said in a statement.

The pair wrote their own vows, and the ring bearer was their dog Toto. Haydon's five-year-old niece, Ella, was the flower girl.

Albanese, 62, a divorcee with an adult son, proposed to Haydon, 46, at The Lodge on Valentine's Day last year. Earlier, they had a lavish wedding before the previous election, scheduled for May this year. Albanese wanted to invite former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, a personal friend, he told a radio show.

But strategists from the ruling center-left Labor Party were worried that a big wedding during a cost-of-living crisis could hurt the government's chances of being re-elected for a second three-year term.

They decided to get married after the election, sometime in 2025, but did not reveal a date.

The wedding was held two days after Parliament ended on November 27.

Haydon, who is a financial services professional and women's advocate, met Albanese at a business dinner in Melbourne in 2020.