It's not every gathering of world leaders that is upstaged by a baby. But Boris and Carrie Johnson’s son Wilfred made his debut on the diplomatic scene at the G7 summit, which kicked off on 11 June in Cornwall, sitting on the sand as his giggling mum whipped off her shoes to paddle in the sea with Dr Jill Biden, wife of the US President.
The laid-back scenes, following a more traditional first photocall for both women and their husbands, seemed aimed at defusing tensions ahead of potentially awkward formal negotiations between Joe Biden – known to be worried about the disruption Brexit is causing internationally – and his British counterpart.
But they also marked a big moment for Carrie, in her first major public appearance since the Downing Street couple’s secret wedding last month. After endless catty references to her being the ‘first girlfriend’, and malicious comparisons with the Prime Minister’s ex-wife Marina, some saw her role leading a programme for G7 leaders’ spouses as confirmation of her official status in his life. With the Duchess of Cambridge also using this summit to step up her diplomatic efforts – co-hosting an event on female empowerment with Dr Biden – Kate and Carrie must have had plenty to compare notes on at Friday night’s royal reception.
The very idea of world leaders bringing their wives – or husband, in Angela Merkel’s case – to work, or joking about having ‘married way above their station’ as Joe Biden did, may seem old-fashioned. But these women are nobody’s arm candy.
True, they’ve had to learn how to make a political point through their clothes. Dr Biden’s black Zadig & Voltaire blazer had the word ‘Love’ spelled out on the back in crystals, in an apparently pointed contrast to Melania Trump’s infamous choice of a jacket bearing the slogan ‘I don’t really care do u?’ to visit child migrants. Carrie, who chose a scarlet LK Bennett mididress and Zara heelsfor the seafront stroll, tends to rent outfits for big occasions as a way of promoting environmentally sustainable fashion, although her green credentials weren’t helped by the Johnsons travelling from London to Cornwall by plane.
But both women are also skilled operators behind the scenes. Carrie, a former Tory aide, isn’t shy of sharing political opinions with her husband. Dr Biden, a community college professor, is a seasoned White House veteran who campaigns on education issues.
Ahead of difficult negotiations over everything from climate change to Covid vaccines, Downing Street will have hoped that bringing the families together in a deliberately casual, relaxed way might forge a more intimate bond between the White House and Number 10. Judging by those pictures of both women ankle deep in the water, at least that bit went to plan.