She’s the daughter of a self-made billionaire, is worth more than £500million herself and wears designer ensembles top fashion experts claim would have given Jackie Kennedy a run for her money – but Akshata Murty’s lifestyle is not as gilded as one might think.

In fact, the Prime Minister’s wife rather likes the simpler things in life, like shopping at her local supermarket, enjoying watching the TV as a family, or just taking the dog for a walk.

And when the Sunaks travel by train to his constituency in Richmond, North Yorkshire, they take their Tupperware leftovers with them.

These are just some of the curiously normal life penchants Akshata – or Mrs M, as she is affectionately known to Downing Street staff – has opened up to in a revealing interview with The Times.

Speaking for the first time in a media interview on her own – largely because she prefers to keep out of the limelight – the petite 44-year-old said normal day-to-day activities are what make her happiest.

She’s the daughter of a self-made billionaire, is worth more than £500million herself and wears designer ensembles top fashion experts claim would have given Jackie Kennedy a run for her money – but Akshata Murty’s life is not as gilded as one might think

Taking the family dog to the park, for example, is one of the top activities on her list.

She said: ‘Few people recognise me. I love that. I take Nova [the labrador] for a walk in St James’s Park most weeks — it’s a great escape.’

In other aspects of domestic life, the dedicated mum-of-two is the one who gets the food shopping in – and she prefers going to high street supermarkets.

Read More

Rishi Sunak’s wife Akshata Murty ditches the Sam Cam-era midi dress in favour of £875 coral suit with the royal seal of approval as she makes a speech at Tory Party Conference

She reveals: ‘I go to Tesco or the little Sainsbury’s or I go to the M&S in Victoria.’

As for family downtime, Akshata divulges that life can be busy for her, their two daughters, Krishna, 13 and Anoushka, 11, and Rishi, but they still try to put aside time to watch TV, including recently enjoying Jurassic Park together.

The Prime Minister’s wife, who is a former fashion designer, is also known for always looking stylish, but her everyday look is neither conspicuous or elaborate and she is unafraid of going make-up free.

There is just one caveat however – rarely will she go to a formal event without wearing heels.

At 5ft 6in, husband Rishi Sunak is shorter than the average height of a British man, which is around 5ft 10in – but Akshata says she would still never dream of ditching heels for flats.

‘Oh no, I love a pair of heels,’ she says emphatically. 

The Sunaks have previously revealed insight into their domestic life, giving an interview to Grazia in March. 

The No10 couple revealed they have rows over stacking the dishwasher, healthy eating and making the bed in an interview given to mark International Women’s Day.

As for family downtime, Akshata divulges that life can be busy for her, their two daughters, Krishna, 13 and Anoushka, 11, and Rishi, but they still try to put aside time to watch TV, including recently enjoying Jurassic Park together

In a video interview they reveal that Akshata is not a morning person, and the PM often interrupts his work running the country to head back up to the No10 flat where they live – to make sure the sheets have been tucked in.

In a lighthearted exchange Rishi said: ‘You just don’t like making the bed and it bugs me. I actually sometimes come up back into the flat from the office after we’ve all left to make the bed, because I’ll be irritated if it’s not been made.’  

Akshata revealed that she is the one who takes a firmer line with their children.

Read More

At home with the Sunaks: Rishi reveals he fusses over making the bed, stacking the dishwasher and healthy family meals as well as running the country while Akshata Murty exercises and makes sure the kids’ homework gets done in Grazia interview

 ‘I’m stricter when it comes to things related to school like getting their homework done, making sure they are reading. Making sure that anything related to school is done well,’ she said.

At the end of the day, Rishi said he enjoys watching old episodes of the popular 90s/00s sitcom starring Jennifer Anniston, Courtney Cox and the late Matthew Perry. 

While the Sunaks come across as a down-to-earth family, there are still the tell-tale signs of access to a significant disposable income.

The Sunaks own a £7 million townhouse and a £1million flat in Kensington, as well as a £5.5million penthouse in California, overlooking Santa Monica pier, which they use in the holidays.

There’s also the £2million mansion in Rishi’s Yorkshire constituency, where he is nicknamed the ‘Maharaja of the Dales’. 

Of the latter, Akshata is particularly fond and prefers holidaying there than abroad. 

She reveals that she is in many ways an ‘adopted’ Yorkshirewoman and that she feels proudly British, having lived in the UK since 2013.

Akshata was born in Hubli, Karnataka, India in 1980. She and her brother Rohan were largely raised by their paternal grandparents as her ambitious mother and father pursued careers in engineering and science.

Her father Narayana, who was recently ranked the sixth richest person in India with a an estimated £3.9billion fortune, built his family’s wealth after founding his firm Infosys, which is currently worth around £53billion.

At 5ft 6in, husband Rishi Sunak is shorter than the average height of a British man, which is around 5ft 10in – but Akshata says she would still never dream of ditching heels for flats

Akshata’s mother Sudha became the first female engineer to work for India’s biggest car manufacturer, TELCO.

Child prodigy Rohan started computer coding at the age of eight before studying a PhD at Harvard and becoming a junior fellow at the prestigious university. 

He later joined the family company in 2013, before stepping down amid claims by Infosys employees of nepotism at the time. 

A year later, he founded AI firm Soroco, of which his sister Akshata is listed as a director of its UK arm.

Read More

‘I tend not to like lots of baggy stuff!’: Rishi Sunak defends his short trousers after PM is quizzed about his ankle-grazers – and denies he’s desperate to move back to California

Akshata had a passion for fashion from an early age, something which got her into trouble with her mother.

She previously recalled how she was scolded for paying more attention to glamour than she did to her studies.

After finishing school, Akshata moved to the US, where she completed degrees in economics and French at Claremont McKenna College in California and studied at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in LA.

She met her future husband after moving to Stanford University to study for an MBA.

Mr Sunak previously told how there was ‘clearly something’ there when he and his wife first met. 

He went as far as changing some of his classes so he could sit next to his wife.

Four years later, in 2009, they married in a lavish ceremony in Bengaluru in India, which was the couple’s home for the next four years.

During their early years together, Akshata pursued a career in fashion and set up her own business in 2007, Akshata Designs. 

However, her business venture fell flat and collapsed after just three years.

Indian-born Akshata reveals that she is in many ways an ‘adopted’ Yorkshirewoman and that she feels proudly British, having lived in the UK since 2013

Nonetheless, the mother-of-two has continued to hold stakes in businesses over the years, the most significant of which is her estimated £430million holding in Infosys.

She and Mr Sunak also set up a project together, Catamaran Ventures UK. 

Akshata has also been linked to Jamie Oliver’s Pizzeria and Etonian tailor, New & Lingwood.

Last year, Akshata hit the headlines over her non-domicile (‘non-dom’) tax status, which is a legal but controversial way to avoid paying taxes in Britain on overseas income. 

The status is often used by the super-wealthy to save thousands or even millions of pounds in tax.

Amid an intense public backlash, she gave up the non-dom status and promised to pay tax in the UK on the fortunes she brought in from around the world.

A statement read: ‘It has become clear that many do not feel it is compatible with my husband’s role as Chancellor.

‘I understand and appreciate the British sense of fairness and I do not wish my tax status to be a distraction for my husband or to affect my family.

‘This means I will now pay UK tax on an arising basis on all my worldwide income, including dividends and capital gains, wherever in the world that income arises. 

‘I do this because I want to, not because the rules require me to.’