Married women are increasingly likely to be older than their husbands, figures reveal.

They show 26 per cent of brides have a younger groom, compared with 15 per cent in 1963.

The trend is seen in the 29-year-old Duchess of Cambridge, who is five months older than her new husband, Prince William, 28. There has also been an increase in the number of married 'cougars' - women with significantly younger 'toy-boys'.

Figures from the Office for National Statistics show the number of women who are five years older than their husbands has doubled from 1 per cent in 1963 to 2 per cent in 2003.

High-profile examples include Ann Summers boss Jacqueline Gold, 50, whose second husband, Dan Cunningham, is 17 years her junior.

'Age has become less of a defining factor in social identity and therefore larger age gaps may be more acceptable to the partners themselves and to society,' said ONS researcher Professor Ruth Hancock.

The figures show 9 per cent of marriages are now between couples of the same age.

In the 1960s, men were typically two years older than the women they married.

Anastasia de Waal, of the think-tank Civitas, said that in the past, 'for many women, marriage was their identity - you were a wife - but now it's much more about partnership'.

She said: 'Deciding on future spouses seems to be more about companionship developing into romance. We should move away from thinking of marriage as a career move in itself.'

ONS researcher Professor Ruth Hancock, said: 'Our findings suggest that in England and Wales people's reasons for marrying may be becoming less concerned with social status and more with fulfilment of individual goals.'

(Read by Renee Haines. Renee Haines is a journalist at the China Daily Website.)

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(Agencies)