This is what we know about Justin Trudeau’s separation

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife of eighteen years Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau are separating according to a statement issued by the Liberal Party’s leader on his Instagram account. 

Trudeau wrote he and his wife decided to separate after several difficult and meaningful and added they intended to remain a close family with “deep love and respect for each other and for everything we have built and will continue to build.”

The Prime Minister asked that for the sake of his children, he wanted those reading the message to respect their privacy. The same message was shared by Sophie Gregoire Trudeau’s Instagram account as well. 

Early reports from CTV News stated that Trudeau and his former wife plan to co-parent their children and noted Gregoire-Trudeau would no longer be considered the Prime Minister’s spouse in any sort of official capacity moving forward. 

“Gregoire Trudeau will no longer represent the Government of Canada, will not be considered the spouse of the prime minister in any official capacity on the world stage, nor will she attend events as the spouse of the prime minister,” CTV News wrote. 

Trudeau and Gregoire-Trudeau have had three children together over the course of their eighteen-year marriage: Xavier was their firstborn and he is now aged fifteen. 

Next came Ella-Grace who is fourteen and the youngest of the couple's three children is Hadrian—who is nine years old. 

The Prime Minister's Office also released a statement about Trudeau’s separation from his wife, notifying the public that all the necessary steps had been taken to untangle the couple’s lives together. 

"They have worked to ensure that all legal and ethical steps with regards to their decision to separate have been taken and will continue to do so moving forward," said Prime Minister’s Office spokesperson Alison Murphy in a statement. 

"They remain a close family and Sophie and the Prime Minister are focused on raising their kids in a safe, loving, and collaborative environment,” Murphy continued. 

Murphy went on to say both parents would be a constant presence in the lives of their children and added that Canadians could still expect to see the family together in the future, noting that the Trudeau’s were going on vacation the following week.

CBC News reported Gregorie-Trudeau has already moved into a separate home in Ottawa and noted that the Prime Minister would remain in Rideau Cottage. 

The Prime Minister’s father, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, also separated from his wife while in office back in 1977 according to CBC News, an event that was highly publicized at the time and an experience Justin Trudeau wrote about in his book Common Grounds.

The Prime Minister also wrote about his own marriage in his book, saying: "Our marriage isn't perfect, and we have had difficult ups and downs, yet Sophie remains my best friend, my partner, my love.”

Justin Trudeau and Sophie Gregoire met in 2003 when they were paired together to co-host a party for a charity event according to the National Post. Gregoire was a television host at the time while Trudeau was living through a very social period of his life. 

The pair hit it off and Trudeau would later tell Cable Public Affairs Channel’s Catherine Clark in 2009: “I knew that the day I went out for coffee with her was the last day I would ever have as a single man," as quoted by the National Post.