We're sure you've already noticed, but the political world is ever so slightly on fire right now – as the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, has handed his notice in after a series of resignations from his cabinet, all of which cited his poor leadership skills as the root cause.
Obviously this is all super important – and certainly something to keep in mind for when the next general election rolls around (whenever that may be) – but today we'd also like to discuss another fact that has recently come to our attention: Boris Johnson's real name is actually, err, not Boris at all.
Nope, it turns out that the Prime Minister's full moniker is the rather Tory-sounding 'Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson', so whilst Boris is in the mix there, it's actually the PM's middle name.
According to some online reports, Boris (or should that be Alexander?) only started going by his middle name when he moved from America (he was born in New York) to attend Eton College in 1977, where it's said that he suddenly adopted "the eccentric English persona" which he's now widely famed for.
As for the 'de Pfeffel' part of the Conservative Party leader's name, it was discovered during his appearance on the BBC ancestry-tracing show, Who Do You Think You Are?, that it links back to his German nobility roots.
"[Boris'] Granny Butter's mother was Marie Louise de Pfeffel (1882-1944), and her great-grandparents were Baron Charles de Pfeffel (1843-1922) and Caroline de Pfeffel (1862-1951). Her aristocratic pretensions appeared to have some substance," writes the BBC of the episode.
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"One of our key discoveries among [Boris'] Aunt Birdie's archive was a death notice for Charles de Pfeffel. In the past, bereaved relatives would issue very formal notices announcing a death, detailing the former role of the deceased, the bereaved family members and the location of the funeral... The death notice also revealed that Charles had died in Germany and at some point had been Chamberlain to the King of Bavaria."
So, there you have it.
Jennifer Savin is Cosmopolitan UK's multiple award-winning Features Editor, who was crowned Digital Journalist of the Year for her work tackling the issues most important to young women. She regularly covers breaking news, cultural trends, health, the royals and more, using her esteemed connections to access the best experts along the way. She's grilled everyone from high-profile politicians to A-list celebrities, and has sensitively interviewed hundreds of people about their real life stories. In addition to this, Jennifer is widely known for her own undercover investigations and campaign work, which includes successfully petitioning the government for change around topics like abortion rights and image-based sexual abuse. Jennifer is also a published author, documentary consultant (helping to create BBC’s Deepfake Porn: Could You Be Next?) and a patron for Y.E.S. (a youth services charity). Alongside Cosmopolitan, Jennifer has written for The Times, Women’s Health, ELLE and numerous other publications, appeared on podcasts, and spoken on (and hosted) panels for the Women of the World Festival, the University of Manchester and more. In her spare time, Jennifer is a big fan of lipstick, leopard print and over-ordering at dinner. Follow Jennifer on Instagram, X or LinkedIn.
