- June 19, 1964: He is born as Alexander Boris de Pfeffel Johnson in New York, where his father is studying at Colombia University.

- 1983: Having been schooled at Eton, he enters Oxford's Balliol College where he graduates in classics four years later.

- 1987-1988: Works as a journalist for The Times newspaper, from where he is sacked for fabricating quotes.

- 1989-1994: Becomes The Daily Telegraph's EU correspondent in Brussels, known for his deeply eurosceptic writings.

- 1999-2005: Editor of news magazine The Spectator.

- 2001: Elected as Conservative member of parliament for the Henley constituency near London. Re-elected in 2005.

- 2008: Defeats Ken Livingstone to become mayor of London. After being re-elected for another four years in 2012, he oversees the city's hosting of that year's Olympic Games.

- 2015: Elected as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip constituency on the outskirts of London. Re-elected in 2017.

- June 2016: Prime minister David Cameron resigns when Britons vote to leave the European Union. Johnson -- a Brexit champion -- pulls out of the race to replace him at the last minute after a key ally betrays him.

- July 13, 2016: He is appointed foreign secretary in the government of the new prime minister, Theresa May.

- July 9, 2018: Resigns over May's Brexit strategy.

- July 23, 2019: Wins the race to replace May as Britain's next prime minister, beating Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt in the Conservative leadership contest.

- July 24, 2019: Due to be formally installed as prime minister at a meeting with Queen Elizabeth II.