His father-in-law, the multibillionaire IT magnate Narayana Murthy, hailed the new prime minister, Rishi Sunak.
In an extremely uncommon public statement, the 76-year-old stated, “We are proud.” We are convinced that he will do his best for the British people.’
Mr. Murthy was dubbed “India’s Bill Gates” due to his pioneering role in the country’s tech development.
The scion of a middle-class family, he earned unfathomable wealth after creating the technology firm Infosys in the early 1980s and is today believed to be worth £3.9 billion.
Narayana Murthy and his wife Sudha attended a wedding reception in Bangalore with their daughter Akshata and Rishi Sunak.
Akshata Murthy, his daughter, met Mr. Sunak, also 42, while they were both students at Stanford University in the United States.
The couple, who have two children named Krishna and Anoushka, will be the first Hindu family to reside at No. 10.
Mr. Sunak, who is 42 years old, is the youngest British prime minister in over 200 years.
India has welcomed the announcement, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi extending his “warmest greetings.”
In the meantime, MP Raghav Chadha tweeted, “Today, when India celebrates Diwali in its 75th year as an independent nation, the United Kingdom will have a prime minister of Indian descent.” History repeats itself.
TV channels NDTV and CNBC TV18 referred to Sunak’s success as “nothing short of a miracle” and said he had accomplished the impossible.
Mr. Sunak is the first British prime minister of Asian descent and, at 42, the youngest in more than two centuries.
In addition, the article complimented British society for allowing Sunak to attain the greatest office.
‘The greater credit is to Britain itself, for bringing in institutions and developing a culture where Rishi Sunak could be possible,’ it said.
Together, the Sunaks have a combined fortune of £730 million, the Sunday Times Rich List revealed in May.
Ms Murthy has previously come under public scrutiny for her non-domiciled tax status, which meant she did not have to pay tax on earnings outside the UK.
It is thought the bulk of her £430m wealth comes from Infosys, which is based in Bangalore.
After the tax revelation was revealed, the couple faced intense backlash – which led to Ms Murthy ultimately giving up her non-dom status and promising to pay tax in the UK on the fortunes she brought in from around the world.
She released a statement defending her ‘entirely legal’ arrangement, but ultimately decided to give it up.
The 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.’
Akshata and Rishi have been married to since 2009 after meeting Stanford University
The couple have a combined fortune of £730 million, according to The Sunday Times Rich List
In an interview with The Times in August, as he languished behind Liz Truss in the first Tory leadership contest, Mr Sunak gave voters an insight into his marriage.
He told the newspaper: ‘My family all drink, my wife definitely drinks. It massively irritates her that I don’t.’
The former chancellor added he was finally persuaded to have a few shots shortly before his wedding in India in 2009, but admitted he didn’t like the taste.
Mr Sunak added there are several other ways in which the couple are like chalk and cheese – with housekeeping being their biggest difference.
‘I’m incredibly tidy, she’s very messy,’ he said. ‘I’m much more organised, she is more spontaneous… she is not going to love me for saying this but I’ll be honest with you, she is not big on the whole tidying thing. She is a complete nightmare, with clothes all over the place and shoes… oh God, the shoes!
Former fashion designer Ms. Murthy and her brother Rohan were primarily reared by their paternal grandparents while their mother and father pursued engineering and science degrees.
The couple has two kids, Krishna and Anoushka (seen with their parents in July at Rishi’s Conservative Party leadership campaign).
While her father founded Infosys and amassed a fortune, her mother became the first female engineer to work for India’s largest automobile manufacturer, TELCO.
Her mother reprimanded her for focusing more on her appearance than on her education when she was a child, as she had a fascination for fashion from a young age.
Ms. Murthy came to the United States after completing high school, where she earned degrees in economics and French from Claremont McKenna College in California and attended the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles.
She met her husband when she relocated to Stanford University to pursue an MBA and he received a Fulbright scholarship to study at the top university.
Mr. Sunak recently stated that there was “definitely something” there when he and his wife first met, and he added that he is such a huge lover of romantic comedies that he rearranged his schedule to sit next to his wife.
Four years later, in 2009, they wed in a spectacular ceremony in Bengaluru, India, which served as the couple’s residence for the following four years.
Following her husband’s retirement as chancellor in July, Akshata, who is well-known for her love of expensive goods, is seen serving tea to members of the press.