‘Ottawa’ Ottawa-born Eliza Reid Could Become Iceland’s First Lady
In just a few days, Ottawa-born Eliza Reid will find out if she is to become the first lady of Iceland.
Reid married an Icelandic history professor and moved to the Nordic country more than 10 years ago.
She’s now found herself at the centre of an election campaign in which her husband has emerged as the frontrunner for the office of the president.
The race and its implications for the future have Reid grappling with the very real possibility of taking up a public position and having to move her family into the presidential residence.
She says when she was growing up on a farm in the Ottawa Valley, it would have never occurred to her that her future would go in this direction.
The 40-year-old mother of four says she feels very welcomed by Icelandic society and says it would be an honour to serve as first lady if her husband — Gudni Johannesson — wins the election.
Reid also says her Canadian background has helped her in the campaign because she doesn’t try to be something she’s not, and that’s something that appeals to people.
According to her online biography, Reid was born in Ottawa, grew up on a farm outside the city, and is now the editor of the in-flight magazine for Icelandair, the country’s national airline.
Iceland’s president — a role comparable to Canada’s Governor General — will be elected on June 25th.