A Full Timeline of George and Amal Clooney's Fairytale Relationship

A friend brought Amal to George's Lake Como home in 2013, and the rest is history.

For the last decade, George Clooney and Amal Clooney have cemented their status as one of Hollywood’s most powerful A-list couples.

Previous to meeting Amal (née Alamuddin), George, now 63, was fairly certain he'd never remarry (the Ocean’s Eleven star divorced his first wife, fellow actress Talia Balsam, in 1993).

But in 2013, a mutual friend introduced the two at the actor’s home in Lake Como, Italy. Soon after they began corresponding over email, before going on their first date in October of that year. In April 2014, George proposed to Amal, and they were married in Italy that September. Three years later, the couple welcomed their fraternal twins, Alexander and Ella.

In the years since, the couple has supported each other’s careers and founded The Clooney Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit that provides free legal support to victims of human rights abuses in more than 40 countries worldwide.

Here’s a look back at their fairytale relationship.

July 2013: George and Amal are introduced at his home near Lake Como, Italy.

George and Amal met in the most organic way: through a friend. In a 2018 interview on My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman, George explained that Amal happened to be in Italy on her way to Cannes, and a mutual friend brought her to his home near Lake Como. As the actor said himself, he didn’t even have to leave his house to meet his wife.

"It's the wildest thing,” he said. “A mutual friend of ours said, 'I'm stopping by and can I bring my friend?' And I was like, 'Of course.' I got a call from my agent who called me and said, 'I met this woman who's coming to your house who you're gonna marry.' The funniest thing was my mom and dad were visiting, so my parents were there, and we just talked and we stayed up all night talking.”

July 2013: They begin exchanging emails.

After their first meeting, George and Amal exchanged emails for weeks. “[Amal] sent some pictures from when she was here, and we were writing each other, emailing, talking, mostly about what was going on in each other’s lives,” he told The Hollywood Reporter in 2017. “And over a period of time, it became clear we were more than just friends.”

October 2013: George and Amal go on their first date in London.

In October 2013, while George was working in London—he was supervising the recording of the score for Monuments Men, his directorial debut—the actor invited Amal to visit him at the city’s historic Abbey Road Studios.

“That was a good first date,” the Oscar-winning actor said. “Then we went for dinner. [Amal] said, ‘Let’s go to this place.’ It was one of those places that was incredibly hip and chic. And when we came out, there were 50 paparazzi there. But she handled it like a champ. Pretty quickly, things escalated once I was in London,” George said.

February 2014: They travel to Africa together.

In early 2014, George and Amal embarked on a trip to Africa—specifically, on a safari in Kenya— together. “Amal loves giraffes; they're her favorite animal,” Clooney told THR. “She went to this place called Giraffe Manor, where the giraffes stick their heads through the windows and kiss you.”

After he returned to L.A., George showed a photo of Amal to Ben Weiss, an actor friend. “I had a picture of her, looking back, smiling at these giraffes,” he said, “And I said, ‘I think I’m going to ask her to marry me.’”

April 28, 2014: George proposes to Amal.

George wasted little time in making good on that statement. On April 28, the actor proposed during a date night at home: George made a pasta dinner for the two of them, then asked Amal to retrieve a candle lighter from a drawer—the place he’d hidden an engagement ring for her.

“I did all the stuff—got down on my knee and did all the things you’re supposed to do,” the actor told THR. “I had a playlist with my Rosemary songs on it [his late aunt was the singer Rosemary Clooney], and I was waiting for this song, ‘Why Shouldn’t I?’ ‘Why shouldn’t I take a chance when romance passes by? / Why shouldn’t I know of love?’ It’s a really good song about why can’t I be in love? And it played, and she’s like, ‘Holy shit!’ And she just kept staring at the ring, going, ‘Oh, my God.’ It was 20 minutes of me on my knee, waiting for her to say yes, because she was so shocked. She only said yes when ‘Goody, Goody’ came on, which isn’t very romantic—it’s kind of mean: ‘So you met someone who set you back on your heels, goody, goody.'”

“My only doubt was if she thought maybe it was too soon,” he continued. “But there was no doubt that we were the right couple and that we were the right team. And we were a team from right off the bat. Immediately, we felt we were just happy, and we have been happy ever since.”

September 7, 2014: George and Amal step out in Florence, Italy—and reveal wedding plans.

In September 2014, George and Amal attended the Celebrity Fight Night Gala in Florence, Italy; it was one of the couple’s first public outings together. During the event, George accepted a Humanitarian Award; when he took the stage, he addressed his fiancée and revealed plans for their nuptials.

"I met my lovely bride-to-be here in Italy, whom I will be marrying, in a couple of weeks, in Venice, of all places,” he said onstage. “I would just like to say to my bride-to-be, Amal, that I love you very much and I can't wait to be your husband.”

September 27, 2014: George and Amal wed in Venice.

In September 2014, George and Amal married in Venice. Approximately 100 family members and friends attended the wedding—and, according to The Hollywood Reporter, Rome’s former mayor, Walter Zeltroni, presided over the nondenominational wedding. Guests attended three days of parties, followed by a civil ceremony.

“We didn’t tell anybody else that we were going to do it, but eventually somebody figured it out,” Clooney told the outlet. “Oh, my God! Once people got wind of it, it became an event. We took a bus from here to Venice, then we got on a boat, and once we got on the boat, there were so many paparazzi and so many people standing there waiting. We were sitting down in the boat, and I was like, ‘You know what? Why are we hiding? Why are we ducking? We shouldn’t be ashamed of this.’ And we got up and waved.”

December 25, 2014: They spend Christmas in Cabo San Lucas.

George and Amal were spotted spending their first Christmas as a married couple together in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, along with the supermodel Cindy Crawford and her husband, the restauranteur Rande Gerber.

January 11, 2015: George and Amal attend the Golden Globes.

In January 2015, George and Amal attended the Golden Globes together—their first red-carpet outing as a married couple—looking the epitome of elegance.

That night, George received the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award for outstanding contributions to his craft; in his speech, he addressed Amal: "“It's a humbling thing to find someone you love, even better when you've been waiting your whole life—especially when your life's been 53 years," he said onstage. "Amal, whatever alchemy it is that brought us together, I couldn't be more proud to be your husband."

May 4, 2015: They make their Met Gala debut.

George and Amal attended their first Met Gala together in 2015; the couple looked stunning and every bit in love.

May 20, 2015: George says he and Amal are not thinking about having kids—yet.

During a 2015 CBS This Morning Interview, George addressed questions about potential plans to have children with Amal. "I don't really [think about it],” he said. “I mean, I've thought about it, I suppose, but it hasn't been high on my list. I've been asked it a lot lately because I've gotten married and I'm doing a movie with kids in it.”

Early June 2015: Amal visits George's hometown of Augusta, Kentucky.

In early June 2015, George and Amal visited the actor’s hometown—Augusta, Kentucky—for a private family reunion.

February 1, 2016: George shares the secret to success in his marriage to Amal.

George and Amal attended the L.A. premiere of the actor’s new movie, Hail, Caesar! That night, during an interview with Mario Lopez, George shared the secret to success in his marriage: not spending too much time apart.

“FaceTime—we'll do that,” George said. “Mostly it's just: Try not to go very long…We spend an awful lot of time together. We try not to have these huge gaps.”

September 27, 2016: George and Amal celebrate their second wedding anniversary.

In an interview with E! News, George revealed how he and Amal celebrated their second wedding anniversary: with a casual dinner at home.

"It's very big news. Very, very big celebration—fireworks," the actor first joked, before revealing, "OK, I made dinner. I don't think she's ever quite impressed with my cooking. If I slap something together—spaghetti and meatballs—she doesn't know that it comes in a jar, so I can just fool her with that one.”

Late 2016: George and Amal establish the Clooney Foundation for Justice.

In late 2016, the couple established the Clooney Foundation for Justice, a nonprofit with a mission of advancing justice in courtrooms, classrooms, and communities worldwide.

Through their work with the Foundation, the couple has built schools for Syrian refugees, aided the people of Ukraine, and donated $1 million to the Southern Poverty Law Center (an organization that combats hate groups), among other initiatives, according to PEOPLE.

In January 2024, the couple announced a new leadership team for the Foundation. “George and I are confident that our new executive team has the talent, experience, and dynamism needed to grow the foundation’s operations and increase access to justice for victims of crimes against humanity around the world,” Amal said in a statement.

February 9, 2017: PEOPLE confirms that George and Amal are expecting twins.

In February 2017, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE that George and Amal were pregnant with twins. (At the time, the couple’s representative didn’t release a public statement.)

February 24, 2017: They walk the red carpet at the Cesar Film

That same month, George and Amal walked the Cesar Film Awards red carpet arm in arm.

June 6, 2017: George and Amal become parents.

On June 6, 2017, the couple became parents! Amal gave birth to fraternal twins: a son, Alexander, and a daughter, Ella, at St. Mary's Hospital in London—the same hospital where Prince William and Kate Middleton’s children were born.

The couple also released a joint statement: "This morning Amal and George welcomed Ella and Alexander George into their lives,” it read. “Ella, Alexander, and Amal are all healthy, happy and doing fine. George is sedated and should recover in a few days.”

September 6, 2017: George shares the moment he learned he and Amal were expecting twins.

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, George said that he and Amal didn’t discuss having children until after they got married.

"We just felt we'd gotten very lucky, both of us, and we should share whatever good luck we've got. It would seem self-centered to just have that belong to us," he said.

The actor also shared that they received the news they were expecting twins—a surprise—during an ultrasound of Amal’s. "[The doctor] goes, 'Well, there's one.' And I said, 'Great.' And then he goes, 'And there's the second one.' And I was like, 'What?' We just sat there, staring at that piece of paper they give you, and I kept thinking there was a mistake,” he said.

September 9, 2017: They make their first public appearance since becoming parents.

In September 2017, George and Amal stepped out onto the Venice Film Festival red carpet, where George as promoting his directorial effort, Suburbicon—their first public outing since welcoming their twins into the world.

April 10, 2018: Amal opens up about falling in love with George.

For Vogue’s May 2018 cover story, Amal opened up about falling in love with George.

"It felt like the most natural thing in the world,” she said. “Before that experience, I always hoped there could be love that was overwhelming and didn't require any weighing or decision-making. It's the one thing in life that I think is the biggest determinant of happiness, and it's the thing you have the least control over. Are you going to meet this person? I was 35 when I met him. It wasn't obvious that it was going to happen for me. And I wasn't willing or excited about the idea of getting married or having a family in the absence of that.”

May 19, 2018: George and Amal attend Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding.

George and Amal have long been masters of chic, subtly coordinated couple dressing, but this moment—their attendance at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s wedding in London—is a serious best-of contender.

In a 2019 interview with The Daily Mail, George also shared an insight into his and Amal’s friendship with the royal couple: ‘We live not too far from one another and we have dinners and stuff and we’re friends with them for all the reasons that you’re friends with anybody,” he said of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. “'They’re just really nice, fun, kind people. They’re a very loving couple, and they’re going to be great parents.’

June 7, 2018: Amal opens up about the early days of her relationship with George.

During a speech at the American Film Institute Life Achievement Award Gala—where George received an AFI Life Achievement Award—Amal shared her thoughts on the early days of their relationship.

"I met George when I was 35 and starting to become quite resigned to the idea that I was going to be a spinster,” she said. Then we met and started hiding out in my London flat and very soon it felt like, no matter what happened, I would never want to be with anyone else. I couldn't sleep when we were apart. And I am told I would display a particular grin and head tilt when reading his text messages or the letters that he would hide in my bag. Five years later none of that has changed. He is the person who has my complete admiration and also the person whose smile makes me melt every time.”

May 6, 2019: George celebrates his 58th birthday with Amal.

In an interview with Jimmy Kimel Live, George shared how he celebrated his 58th birthday—his first since becoming a father: "I turned 58—nothing's fun,” he said. I had a good day though. My wife and I had dinner just the two of us at home, which was really nice.”

He then continued on to spotlight a career achievement of Amal’s that happened to coincide with his special day: “But my wife has been, for the last year, working literally every single day with a gentleman named Steven Adler, who runs Reuters, and a brilliant lawyer named Gail Gove to get and to free the Reuters journalists from Myanmar,” he said. “A year of working on it, and last night they walked out of prison. So we were very happy."

May 7, 2018: George and Amal Clooney attend the Met Gala.

Amal co-chaired the 2018 Met Gala—alongside Anna Wintour, Rihanna, and Donatella Versace—and George was right by her side. George wore a black tuxedo, while Amal stunned in a Richard Quinn ensemble that included a silver corset top, navy pants, and a floral skirt made from tin foil.

Sept 27, 2019: George and Amal celebrate their fifth anniversary in New York.

According to PEOPLE, George and Amal celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary in New York: with dinner at 4 Charles Prime Rib restaurant, in the West Village, alongside longtime friends Rande Gerber and Cindy Crawford.

“George and Amal were in the best mood—they celebrated their fifth wedding anniversary with Rande and Cindy,” a source told the outlet. “They enjoyed dinner for several hours.”

January 29, 2021: George opens up about quarantining with Amal.

In a 2021 interview with AARP, George shared a detail about keeping his romance alive with Amal, even while quarantining during the COVID-19 pandemic: writing hand-written letters.

"Even in lockdown, I'll write a letter and slip it on her desk, or she'll write a letter and leave it under the pillow,” George said. “I'm a big believer in letters. I have letters from Paul Newman, Walter Cronkite, Gregory Peck. I have them framed. I put them in the house. If it were a text, it would feel different. Maybe that's a generational thing, and maybe it won't be that way 20 years from now, but for me, somebody sat down and wrote it.”

February 8, 2022: George and Amal accept the Catalyst Award together.

In February 2022, the couple accepted an award together—The second-ever Catalyst Award from the Elevate Prize Foundation— for their work with The Clooney Foundation for Justice. The prize included $250,000.

“Our goal at the foundation is to free the innocent and punish the guilty. I think we're both inspired by the young people out there challenging injustice in their communities, a new generation that won't accept the status quo,” George said in the couple’s joint acceptance speech.

“The funding we receive from this award will support our TrialWatch program, which monitors criminal trials around the world and defends individuals who are unjustly detained, including journalists, women, LGBTQ persons, and minorities,” added Amal.

March 2022: Amal reflects on her marriage to George.

In 2022, TIME named Amal one of its Women of the Year.

In an accompanying interview with the magazine, Amal opened up about her marriage to George: "Marriage has been wonderful,” she said. “I have in my husband a partner who is incredibly inspirational and supportive, and we have a home filled with love and laughter. It is a joy beyond anything I could ever have imagined. I feel so lucky to have found a great love in my life, and to be a mother — this is how I get my balance," she said.

September 27, 2022: George and Amal celebrate their 8th wedding anniversary in New York.

Eight years after they married, George and Amal stepped out in New York to celebrate their anniversary.

October 17, 2022: George and Amal attend the L.A. premiere of Ticket to Paradise.

In October 2022, George and Amal walked the red carpet of the L.A. premiere of the actor’s new movie, Ticket to Paradise, in which he starred opposite Julia Roberts.

George wore a silver suit, while Amal opted for a red, Alexander McQueen dress from the designer’s Spring 2003 collection.

December 4, 2022: George and Amal attend the Kennedy Center Honors.

The couple made another red carpet appearance at the 45th annual Kennedy Center Honors, where George received a lifetime achievement award.

August 31, 2023: Amal and George attend the DVF Awards in Venice, Italy.

In August 2023, the couple attended the DVF Awards in Venice, Italy, where Amal received the DVF Leadership Award. The human rights lawyer gave her husband a funny and touching shoutout during her acceptance speech.

“I am here in Venice with my husband; he is a rising star,” she joked, before sharing an anecdote about what the city means to them as a couple.

"Venice is the place where almost nine years ago we were married,” she said. “I just wanted to say, you, my love, like this city, take my breath away, and you make our lives magical. It is sometimes hard to believe you exist, so thank you for being the brightest light in my life.”

September 28, 2023: George and Amal host The Albie Awards.

In September 2023, George and Amal’s Clooney Foundation for Justice hosted its second annual Albie Awards. The event took place at the New York Public Library in Manhattan.

According to the foundation, the Albies—named for Justice Albie Sachs, a South African lawyer, activist, writer, and former judge—honor "brave individuals who, at great personal risk, have devoted their lives to justice.”

On the red carpet that evening, George shed light on his and Amal’s partnership on humanitarian work: "[Amal] does all the heavy lifting and the law-degree work, and I try to make it loud. I think it's kind of a good team effort,” he said.

For more InStyle news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on InStyle.