A timeline of the Trudeaus’ personal and political moments

After an 18-year marriage, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Sophie Grégoire Trudeau announced Wednesday they have decided to separate.

“Sophie and I would like to share the fact that after many meaningful and difficult conversations, we have made the decision to separate,” Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau wrote in identical messages posted to their Instagram accounts.

Here is a short timeline of some of their biggest personal and political moments together.

Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau began dating in 2003, says the prime minister in his autobiography Common Ground. Grégoire Trudeau was a former schoolmate of Trudeau’s late brother, Michel.

The two became engaged in 2004 and married a year later at Montreal’s Sainte-Madeleine d’Outremont church.

Grégoire Trudeau, a former television presenter, has been a prominent presence at Trudeau’s side since the beginning of his political career.

In 2007, Trudeau decided to seek the Liberal Party nomination in the Montreal riding of Papineau. He went on to win his seat in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections.

The two were together at the 2012 charity boxing match between Trudeau and then-Conservative Senator Patrick Brazeau.

Trudeau began to consider seeking the Liberal leadership after his wins as an MP. The decision, he wrote in his autobiography, would ultimately come down to “a deeply personal private discussion between Sophie and me.”

Trudeau won the federal Liberal leadership in 2013. The two celebrated in Ottawa with their children Xavier and Ella-Grace.

Grégoire Trudeau has become a public figure in her own right throughout Trudeau’s time in politics. She is an advocate for several charitable and social causes, including mental health and gender equality.

In 2015, Trudeau was elected prime minister for the first time. The two celebrated his election victory at the Liberal election headquarters in Montreal.

Shortly after his election victory, Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau made headlines by appearing in Vogue Magazine.

“We’re more partners than my mother and father were ever able to be,” said Trudeau, in the article.

The two were photographed for Vogue by Canadian photographer Norman Jean Roy.

In March 2016, Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau travelled to Washington for a three-day visit. The two attended a state dinner with then-U.S. president Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama.

Three months later, Obama made a one-day trip to Ottawa. The former president gave a speech to senators and members of Parliament after being greeted by Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau.

The next summer, the two welcomed then-Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, to Ottawa for the Canada 150 celebrations.

The royals attended the 2017 Canada Day event on Parliament Hill with Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau and their children, Hadrien, Ella-Grace and Xavier.

In September 2019, Trudeau requested the dissolution of Parliament and triggered the launch of the federal election campaign.

The election took place in October, with Trudeau winning and forming a minority government.

Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau watched the results roll in with their children and then celebrated the victory at the Liberal election headquarters in Montreal.

A few months after Trudeau’s election victory, the COVID-19 pandemic began.

Grégoire Trudeau spoke in depth about mental health and well-being throughout the pandemic. In May 2020, she launched a podcast in which she discussed the mental health challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau had an unusual agenda on Canada Day 2020. Instead of the regular programming on Parliament Hill, the two harvested vegetables at the Ottawa Food Bank Farm

Still reeling from the COVID-19 pandemic, Canadians headed to the polls in September 2021 to vote in another federal election.

Trudeau secured a third mandate and his second minority government.

He was joined by Grégoire Trudeau and their children at the Liberal headquarters in Montreal to celebrate his victory.

A year later, Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau traveled to London where they attended the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth II.

They were joined by former prime ministers Stephen Harper, Paul Martin, Jean Chrétien and Kim Campbell, as well as former governors general Michaëlle Jean and David Johnston.

In March 2023, Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau hosted U.S. President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden in Ottawa.

Biden delivered a speech to the Canadian parliament and attended a gala dinner hosted by the two.

Trudeau and Grégoire Trudeau welcomed the Bidens at Rideau Cottage.