The First Lady of the United States has always played a prominent role in the political and social life of America, dating back to the 18th century.

Although the role has never been officially defined, she is expected to champion social causes and campaigns, manage the White House and represent the President at official occasions.

So what can America expect from its new FLOTUS, Melania Trump?

Image: Melania Trump is the first presidential spouse to be born outside the US for 192 years

:: Who is Melania Trump?

The Slovenian former model was born in 1970 in communist Yugoslavia, and becomes the first presidential spouse to be born outside the US since Louisa Adams, wife of John Quincy Adams, who was born in England.


She is the daughter of Viktor Knavs, a car and motorcycle dealer and a member of the Slovenian Communist Party, and Amalija Knvas - a patternmaker for children's clothing.

Image: Pictured with the real estate tycoon in New York in 2003. They married two years later

Mrs Trump has one sister, Ines, and an older half-brother she is not believed to have met.

She grew up in an apartment in a concrete tower block in Sevnica, in Slovenia, and went to the Secondary School of Design and Photography in Ljubljana.

The 46-year-old, who is 5ft 11in, began her modelling career when she was 16, and at the age of 18 signed with an agency in Milan, Italy.

She has appeared on numerous magazine covers including Harper's Bazaar and Vanity Fair, and once posed naked on a white rug for British magazine GQ.

Mrs Trump has her own jewellery and skincare line and speaks five languages - Slovenian, Serbian, English, French and German.

:: How did she meet Donald Trump?

Trump's wife to fight cyberbullying

The couple met at a Fashion Week party in New York in September 1998, when he was separated from his second wife Marla Marples.

They were engaged in 2004 and married in a church ceremony in Florida the following year.

Mrs Trump's elaborate wedding dress was said to cost more than $100,000 (£81,000) and Hillary and Bill Clinton were among the guests at their reception at Mr Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort.

In March 2006, she gave birth to their son Barron, who apparently loves wearing a suit and tie and playing golf with his father.

Melania Trump got her Green Card in 2001 after moving to the US five years earlier and became a US citizen in 2006, a year after her marriage.

:: What kind of First Lady will she be?

Melania Trump stands by her man

She has insisted she is not shy about giving her husband political advice, despite avoiding the limelight for much of the presidential campaign.

In an interview with CNN, she said: "I give him my opinions, many, many times.

"I don't agree with everything he says, but, you know, that is normal. I'm my own person, I tell him what I think. And I think that's very important in a relationship."

Image: Melania Trump waves after her wedding ceremony in Florida in 2005

When asked by The New York Times in 1999 what her role would be if her husband became President, she said she would be "very traditional, like Betty Ford or Jackie Kennedy".

:: What will her campaign issues be?

Melania Trump has said she will campaign against cyberbullying because she feels the culture on social media has become "too mean and too tough" and is filled with insults based on "looks and intelligence".

She has also said she would like to see her husband - a prolific user of social media - give up "the tweeting".

Image: Melania and Ivanka Trump at the inauguration

:: Will she take a backseat?

Melania Trump has said she plans to remain in New York for the first part of her husband's presidency while 10-year old Barron finishes school.

This has led to suggestions that Donald Trump's daughter, Ivanka, could take on some of the roles traditionally performed by the First Lady.

Read more:

:: America's newest First Family - meet the Trumps

:: Trumps dance to My Way at inaugural ball

:: Trump's cabinet: Who has been confirmed so far

:: 'So, so great!': Why Trump's rhetoric resonates

:: Obama's goodbye: 'We're off on a quick vacation'

:: What will Barack Obama do next?

Watch continuing coverage of President Trump's first days in office on Sky News.