She has been described as the “rock” around which Alex Salmond’s life revolves, but no one outside a small circle of close friends and allies has ever met her.
She is also the wife of the most well-known politician ever to come out of Scotland – and the man who is fast becoming famous all over the world as he attempts to break Britain apart – and yet she has steadfastly refused to step into the limelight alongside her husband for the last 25 years.
That is – until now.
Last week, Moira Salmond took the very rare step of appearing on the international stage, joining Mr Salmond on an official visit to the Arabian Gulf.
If the trip was a one-off event, it could easily be dismissed as nothing more than one, single adventurous blip in the otherwise reclusive life for the wife of Scotland’s first minister.
But it was no one-off event. The Abu Dhabi visit actually represented much more than that, because it was the second time in the last six weeks that the taxpayer had paid for Mrs Salmond to accompany her husband on an international visit.
As such, it suggests a major change of gear for one of the most private spouses in Scottish politics.
Just before Christmas, Mrs Salmond went with the first minister on a official trip to the Middle East, joining him for a series of engagements in Dubai and Qatar.
Aides have been keen to play down an increase in Mrs Salmond’s public profile, insisting that last week’s visit did not mean that Moira Salmond would become a public figure in her own right.
But they acknowledged that Mrs Salmond had become more relaxed about being seen in public and was prepared to accompany her husband occasionally – particularly if there was something definitive for her to do.
A spokesman for first minister said: “Mrs Salmond’s previous visit in November was a great success – she was extremely well received, and invited back to undertake her own cultural programme, which is part of our overall effort to promote Scotland.”
Among her programme of events – quite separate from the renewables work being undertaken by her husband – Mrs Salmond visited Al Ain Park, which she was unable to go during her trip in November.
The park has a memorandum of understanding signed with the Royal Botanical Garden in Edinburgh and is conducting a joint project with Edinburgh Zoo on genetic diversity.
The first minister tried to make a joke out of his wife’s new role, mimicking President Kennedy’s remark about Jackie Kennedy on a trip to Paris when he said: “I was the man who accompanied Mrs Salmond to Abu Dhabi.”
Mr Salmond added: “I think she might be more popular than me. She’s done some trips in the past and she has her own programme.”
As for Mrs Salmond, she was keen to insist that she did not intend on usurping her husband in any way.
“One politician in the family is quite enough," she said, "and I am never going to get involved in commenting on Scottish politics.”
And she added: “When promoting Scotland overseas, I think it’s important that we gain some understanding of the cultural life and experience.
“The people I met in the Gulf, from the very youngest children, were exceptionally courteous and hospitable, and I was also struck by the number of Scots who are doing valuable work there in all walks of life.”
At 73, Mrs Salmond is 16 years older than Mr Salmond. She is a pensioner and clearly entitled to a more restful life than the hectic political agenda pursued by her husband.
But friends relate how she has always appeared much younger than her years and how difficult it is to spot the age gap between them.
Formerly Moira McGlashan, an engineer's daughter from Peebles, she was a senior civil servant and became her future husband's boss when he joined the Scottish Office in the 1970s as a junior economist.
But when the couple married in 1981 – when she was 43 and he was 26 – she gave up her job to concentrate on running their home.
If Mrs Salmond does indeed start to take a more active part in first ministerial events, it will represent a major change for Scottish politics.
Donald Dewar was divorced when he became Scotland’s first first minister in 1999 and the wives of his Labour successors, Henry McLeish and Jack McConnell, both had full-time careers.
As a result, they tended to keep a low profile when accompanying their husbands on official engagements.
Mrs Salmond is not shy. Rather, she is keen to let her husband do what he does best, without any distractions. Friends confirm how important her views are to him and how much support she gives him.
“She is a rock for him,” one said.
They also relate how she is happy tending the Muscovy ducks she raises at the couple’s converted mill home in the village of Strichen, Aberdeenshire.
Mr Salmond has also made a point of criticising Tony Blair's wife Cherie for her high public profile, claiming that once she had crossed that line she became “fair game”, while he has always vigorously defended his wife’s desire to stay out of politics.
But he has started to refer to her more and more in public interviews – possibly because he feels more relaxed about her role in public life too.
He has also made it clear in the past that he respects and trusts her judgment, explaining that had she objected to his return to the leadership of the SNP in 2004, he would not have gone for it.
“If Moira had said 'no', that would have been that," he said. "Luckily for me, and possibly the party, she said 'yes'.”
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