Akshata Murty, the spouse of British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, offered a glimpse into life at 10 Downing Street during a recent interview, where she shared anecdotes about the interactions between their family dog and the famous street's resident cat.
In an uncommon interview for the 'FYI: Weekly News Show,' set to air on the Sky Kids channel, the 43-year-old businesswoman shared her feelings of being "fortunate" to reside in a building steeped in the history of prime ministers spanning centuries.
However, the family's Labrador retriever, Nova, may have mixed feelings about the residence, given the occasional confrontations with the long-standing resident of the historic street, Larry the cat.
"I feel fortunate, so grateful, and so honoured to live here," expressed Murty during the interview, which was conducted in No. 10 Downing Street's garden.
"This building has been used by the office of the Prime Minister for over 275 years, an extensive period. And, to be able to live here and have a glimpse, in a sense, of this historic place, I feel really lucky," added Murty, who is the daughter of Infosys co-founder Narayana Murthy and author Sudha Murty.
"You saw our dog earlier, Nova has mixed emotions; she sometimes doesn't get along with Larry the cat, and they've had some heated exchanges, with Larry usually coming out on top. Our family is so grateful to be here," she shared with the young interviewers from the kids' show.
Larry, known as the Chief Mouser to the Cabinet Office due to its role in keeping mice in check, has resided at Number 10 for 12 years and has served five Conservative Prime Ministers – David Cameron, Theresa May, Boris Johnson, Liz Truss, and now Rishi Sunak.
The cat's encounters with the pets of the resident families on the street, which is also home to the Chancellor's office at Number 11, have been widely documented over the years and even inspired various humorous social media accounts.
When asked by the young interviewers about her experience as the wife of a Prime Minister, Murty responded, "You know, I've had a busy life before. I have a busy life now. I think what's been incredible is the range of opportunities that I've been exposed to... meeting really interesting people."
She also discussed an initiative she introduced since moving into Downing Street in October of the previous year, called "Lessons at 10," which invites children from across the UK to the Prime Minister's residence to learn about the building's history and the role of government.
"Through the 'Lessons at 10' program, meeting lots of young people every Friday, I really enjoy that, and so for me, I look at it (being the Prime Minister's wife) as a very special time in my life to help support my husband in the job he's doing while opening up the doors to young people," she said.
Murty married Sunak in 2009 after they met at Stanford University in California. The couple has two daughters, Krishna, 12, and Anoushka, 10, and divides their time between Downing Street and Sunak's northern England constituency home in Richmond, Yorkshire.
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