After five years of speculation, Jacinda Ardern is getting married

She guided New Zealand through volcanic eruptions, terrorist attacks and a pandemic, won a record majority for her party and, at the age of 37, became the youngest female head of government in the world.

But from her first appearances on the world stage, fans and viewers of Jacinda Ardern, 43, the former Prime Minister of New Zealand, have announced her resignation Almost exactly a year ago, they returned to the same question again and again: if and when she and 47-year-old Clarke Gayford, her television host fiancé, would tie the knot.

They finally got answers on Saturday when the couple released official wedding portraits to the news media.

The ceremony, which took place at the Craggy Range vineyard, in New Zealand's spectacular Hawke's Bay, follows a canceled attempt and more than five years of media speculation. In January 2019, a BBC interviewer made headlines when she pressed Ms Ardern on whether she wanted she and Mr. Gayford were to be married, or whether she would consider proposing to Mr Gayford if he didn't pop the question, prompting accusations of sexism. Similar questions have haunted Ms Ardern ever since.

The couple, who have been together for ten years and have a five-year-old daughter, Neve Ardern-Gayford, met in 2012. announced their engagement in May 2019 – after a student journalist spotted a sparkling ring on Ms Ardern's finger and asked her office about it.

But the busy couple had failed to get married before the coronavirus pandemic struck in early 2020, when New Zealand's particularly strict response, led by Ms Ardern, led to the country closing its borders and imposing a strict lockdown.

Then a wedding planned for January 2022 was canceled just days before it was due to take place as Ms Ardern imposed nationwide restrictions limiting the number of people at least to 100 to counter the effects of a surge of the Omicron variant .

“I am no different to, dare I say it, thousands of other New Zealanders who have suffered far more devastating consequences from the pandemic, the most profound of which is the inability to be with a loved one at times when they are seriously ill. she said at a press conference where the restrictions were announced at the time. “That will far exceed the sadness I experience.”

When Ms Ardern was asked about wedding plans a few months later, she said it was not at the top of her list. “It happens one day,” she told a radio program in New Zealand. “We have not yet set an exact date, but that is mainly because we organize ourselves.”

Then Mrs Ardern announced her resignation in January 2023, she gave some hints about her future career plans, which include serving as a trustee for Prince William's Earthshot Prize and a fellowship at Harvard University.

But she did make one public promise to Mr Gayford, whom she thanked for his support and his sacrifices. “Clarke,” she said, “let's get married at last.”