Who Is Kristen Messner? Lindsey Buckingham Once Said He Waited 'A Long Time' for His Wife

Celebrated guitarist Lindsey Buckingham had his first marriage after the age of 50. In 2000, he married Kristen Messner, who he met during a photoshoot for one of his solo albums. The musician and his wife have three children from their union.

Buckingham rose to fame as a member of the British-American rock band Fleetwood Mac, where he was the lead male vocalist and lead guitarist. The group garnered much acclaim starting in the 1970s, winning the Grammy Award for Album of the Year in 1978 for "Rumours."

Before and in the early years with Fleetwood Mac, Buckingham was in a relationship with his musical collaborator, Stevie Nicks, for several years. However, their time together did not last, and it took decades until Buckingham was involved in another publicized relationship.

Lindsey Buckingham Was 'Lucky' to Meet His Wife, Kristen Messner

In much of his early adult years, Buckingham was romantically linked to his former high school and bandmate, Stevie Nicks. Their relationship survived for a relatively long time and was heralded by many fans. However, they broke up in the late 1970s, marking a long period of being unattached for Buckingham.

That was until he met Messner in the 1990s when the pair had a photoshoot together for one of the guitarist's solo projects. That experience changed his life forever.

Buckingham recalled that he had to be patient in pursuing Messner as it took some time for her to open up and feel comfortable with the rock and roller. The patience paid off for Buckingham, who said:

“I did see a lot of friends who were parents and spouses... who weren’t really there and kind of screwed up their kids, and were not there for their family situations. So I waited and I was lucky enough to meet someone relatively late.”

The couple welcomed their first child before they were married when William Gregory was born in 1998. Their second child, a daughter named Leelee, was born in 2000, the same year Messner and Buckingham tied the knot. They had their third and last child, Stella, in 2004.

Kristen Messner Is an Interior Designer

According to her Instagram bio, Messner is an interior designer, with photos of homes she remodeled and decorated in her posts. There is no information about her education, but her LinkedIn suggests she has much experience in the field.

She discussed her inspiration, noting that her taste is heavily influenced by her residency in Los Angeles. Messner's favorite styles are from the 1920, 30s, 40s, 70s and the modern day eras.

Messner enjoys horse riding when she is not designing houses or spending time with her children. She owns several horses and grew up around them but only began riding competitively as an adult. She shares her passion for horses with her youngest daughter, Stella, and they two ride together frequently.

Kristen Messner Wanted to Divorce Lindsey Buckingham, but It Appears Their Marriage Still Has a Chance

Buckingham had a rough couple of years, beginning with his exclusion from Fleetwood Mac in 2018 and an open heart surgery the following year. In June 2021, the couple, whose love had seemed strong for much of their two decades together, went through a rough patch that resulted in Messner filing for divorce.

The divorce papers filed in Los Angeles on June 2 cited irreconcilable differences as the reason for separation. Messner requested joint physical and legal custody of the couple's youngest child, plus spousal support.

However, over three months down the line, they were reportedly trying to make their marriage work. Speaking about it with People, Lindsey Buckingham noted that the lockdown had made their relationship challenging and that his wife needed some time to herself.

He seemed happy that many people file for divorce but never go through the process and hoped he and his wife could fully reconcile. After some time away from each other, the couple was spotted spending time together, perhaps signs of their love getting back on track.