Couple join a host of prospective spouses forced to sit and wait

BORIS JOHNSON and Carrie Symonds could have to wait months before they can marry amid ongoing uncertainty about when the lockdown will be lifted.

Whilst the couple yesterday celebrated the birth of their baby boy – believed to be the first born out of wedlock in Downing Street in centuries – there is now growing concern they will be left waiting for some time to finally tie the knot.

The pair have been engaged since at least mid-february, when they first announced they were expecting a baby and intended to marry.

However, they have never publicly stated a date for the big event, with No10 yesterday refusing to provide any update on their wedding plans.

There have been suggestions in some quarters that their wedding could take place this summer, whilst MPS are away on their holidays and Parliament is in recess.

There is a possibility Mr Johnson could squeeze his wedding into his planned two weeks of paternity leave, which Downing Street yesterday said he would take later this year after the crisis has abated.

But the implementation of the lockdown, which has seen social gatherings banned and has forced wedding venues and churches to close, has thrown a significant spanner in the works.

Thousands of couples have already been forced to call off their plans indefinitely, including throughout the months of July and August, the height of the wedding season.

Among them is Princess Beatrice, who recently announced the cancellation of her wedding to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi, which had been due to take place at St James’s Palace on May 29.

Whilst some may still be holding onto hopes of a last minute turnaround, there is now a growing expectation among business leaders that the hospitality sector will not be fully functioning until Autumn.

The gloomy forecasts have not stopped some couples from pressing ahead, with a number using the app Zoom to hold virtual ceremonies attended

When they do eventually marry, they will become the first to wed in No10 since Lord Liverpool in 1822

by their friends, family and the marriage officiant.

Alternatively, it still remains possible to have a slimmed-down wedding, with a number of local authorities permitting ceremonies made up of the bride and groom plus two witnesses.

However, such innovative arrangements are unlikely to go down well with Ms Symonds, who is likely to want a more traditional wedding attended by friends and family.

When they do eventually marry, Mr Johnson, 55, and Ms Symonds, 32, will become the first couple to wed in No 10 since Lord Liverpool in 1822.

They have already made history as the first unmarried couple to live together in Downing Street when they moved into the flat above No11, following Mr Johnson’s election as Conservative Party leader.