As First Lady of the United States, Michelle Obama is used to certain perks of her job, and it seems one of those includes being the first to see Downton Abbey before anyone else in the US. The Sun reports that FLOTUS "begged" ITV's bosses to send her DVDs of the third series before its American release date on January 6.
Taking into account her stellar effort in Barack Obama's re-election, the channel happily obliged with the VIP request. Michelle's treat will also benefit the president, who is said to share his wife's liking of the British costume drama . A source working on the show said: "We know it's very popular in America as it's so quintessentially British. We'd heard the Obamas liked to watch it but we were very surprised when someone from the First Lady's office got in touch asking for the series. "They were very polite and we were more than happy to sort out some DVDs for them to send over. Obviously we hope they keep the spoilers to themselves as our US fans may not know about... well, you know what!". Bosses of the show needn't worry – the Obamas are certainly used to handling classified information, and Downton's seismic plot twists will pale in comparison to the demands that await the presidential couple in the coming four years.
The US commander-in-chief was gifted a second shot on the world stage after a tight race with Republican candidate, Mitt Romney. Minutes after his victory was announced, the president tweeted: "We're all in this together. That's how we campaigned, and that's who we are. Thank you." He also posted a picture of himself embracing his wife with the caption "Four more years".Mr Obama's triumph was helped by Michelle's unwavering support. As First Lady, it was her job to endear the president's humane side to the public, and present him to voters as the man she fell in love with. The strategy was a rounding success, and the Obama family values and happy marriage now continue to underpin their legacy at the White House.
A month before the election, the first couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary, and shortly after, an excited Michelle rushed to vote early for her husband. "I couldn't wait for Election Day!" she tweeted, including a photo of her proudly showing off the envelope holding her absentee ballot. Later, at a rally in Delaware, Michelle told supporters all about it: "This morning, I cast my vote early for Barack Obama," she said, drawing cheers from the crowd. "I voted for my husband. Yes! It felt so good. Right now, my absentee ballot is on its way to Illinois, my home state. Forgive me if I'm a little excited today. For me it was Election Day."
Mr Obama followed his wife's example, and cast his own vote early in person in Illinois on October 25 — three days after the final presidential debate. It was the first time a presidential candidate and his wife both cast their votes before Election Day.