Queen Elizabeth leads the well-wishers of Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his partner, Carrie Symonds, who gave birth to their son on Wednesday, April 29. Buckingham Palace confirmed that the Queen sent the new parents a private message upon the arrival of their baby.
A spokesperson for the prime minister said that both Symonds and her newborn son are doing quite well. Johnson and Symonds are grateful for the NHS maternity team for looking after their family.
An insider, however, revealed that Johnson and Symonds would also likely get an "enormous bouquet" from Queen Elizabeth. It's traditionally expected for Buckingham Palace to send flowers to wives and partners of prime minister after giving birth, according to The Sun.
In 2000, Prime Minister Tony Blair and his wife, Cherie, welcomed the arrival of their youngest child, Leo. By noontime following the birth, witnesses saw a large bouquet on Downing Street with a note from Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip.
Baby arrivals in Downing Street, however, are quite rare. Johnson is only the third prime minister to welcome a baby while in office.
Meanwhile, Symonds was self-isolating at their flat above Downing Street since the end of March due to the coronavirus pandemic. The prime minister's partner exhibited symptoms while Johnson himself fought COVID-19 for three weeks.
Johnson was admitted to intensive care in early April after he showed problems with his breathing. He recently returned to work after being down with the dreaded disease. The prime minister, however, will likely take a paternity leave sometime with the next few months.
The prime minister and his partner are not yet married though in February, the couple revealed plans of tying the knot. They also announced that they were expecting their first child together by the early summer. The prime minister's office didn't clarify if their baby was born prematurely, per BBC. The couple also did not give details like the baby's weight and which hospital Symmonds gave birth.
They are the very first unmarried couple to move in and stay in Downing Street when Johnson won the prime minister position in the elections. The report stated that the couple will continue to live in the official residence of the prime minister following the baby's birth.
Meanwhile, Johson will be speaking to Queen Elizabeth, for the first time since his recovery, on Wednesday evening by phone, according to his spokesperson. This has been their routine since the Queen went into isolation in Windsor but the routine was interrupted when Johnson was at the hospital.
