When Emmanuel Macron walked onto the stage at the Louvre in 2017 to celebrate his first presidential victory, he wasn't alone. Holding his hand was a woman who had already been the subject of thousands of tabloid headlines and whispered conversations in Parisian cafés. People weren't just curious about her fashion or her politics. They were obsessed with her story.
So, who is the president of France married to? Her name is Brigitte Macron.
Honestly, if you've followed French politics at all, you know Brigitte is a far cry from the traditional, background-dwelling "Première Dame" of years past. She’s a former schoolteacher, a mother of three from a previous marriage, and a grandmother of seven. But the part everyone tends to get stuck on—and we might as well address it right now—is the 24-year age gap.
She is 72. He is 48. In France, this has been both a source of intense national pride for some and a target for truly bizarre conspiracy theories for others.
How a Drama Club Created a President
The story of how they met sounds like something out of a French arthouse film, though it caused a massive scandal in the small town of Amiens back in the early 90s.
Brigitte Trogneux was a 39-year-old drama and literature teacher at Lycée La Providence, a private Jesuit school. Emmanuel Macron was a 15-year-old student in her class. Specifically, they bonded over a play they were rewriting together, Eduardo De Filippo's The Art of Comedy.
Imagine a teenage boy—described by classmates as a "little professor"—spending every Friday night with his teacher, debating script changes and literature.
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It wasn't exactly a secret for long.
When Emmanuel's parents found out their son was infatuated with his teacher (they initially thought he liked her daughter, Laurence, who was in his class), they were horrified. They eventually sent him away to the prestigious Lycée Henri-IV in Paris to finish his studies. Before he left, legend has it he told her: "You won't get rid of me. Whatever you do, I will marry you."
He kept that promise.
The Long Road to the Élysée
It took a decade for them to actually find their way back to each other permanently. Brigitte was married to a banker named André-Louis Auzière at the time and had a settled life.
"I told myself he would fall in love with someone his own age," she told Paris Match years later. "It didn't happen."
They eventually married in 2007, a year after her divorce from Auzière was finalized. By the time Emmanuel's political career took off—first as an investment banker at Rothschild, then as a minister under François Hollande—Brigitte was his "anchor."
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Basically, she isn't just his wife; she's his most trusted advisor. During the 2017 campaign, she was constantly by his side, coaching him on his speeches and managing his schedule. Macron himself famously said that if he is elected, she will have a role, because "she has always been there."
What Does a French First Lady Actually Do?
Technically, France doesn't have an official "First Lady" title in the way the United States does. There's no mention of a president's spouse in the French Constitution.
When Macron tried to create an official, taxpayer-funded role for her in 2017, the French public—never fans of American-style political structures—pushed back hard. More than 275,000 people signed a petition against it.
The compromise? A "transparency charter."
This document outlines exactly what she does without giving her a salary. She has a small team, a couple of secretaries, and two security agents. Her main focus has been:
- Bullying: She has been very vocal about school harassment and cyberbullying.
- Education: She chairs the "LIVE" association, which helps young adults back into the workforce.
- Health: She took over the presidency of the Hospitals of Paris-Hospitals of France Foundation.
Dealing With the "Fake News" and Cyberbullying
Being married to the president of France hasn't been all state dinners and Louis Vuitton outfits. Brigitte has faced some of the most vicious online harassment of any modern public figure.
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Just this month, in January 2026, a Paris court found 10 people guilty of cyberbullying her. These individuals had spent years spreading a baseless conspiracy theory that she was born a man named "Jean-Michel." It's the kind of thing that sounds too ridiculous to be true, yet it gained enough traction that she had to take legal action to stop it.
Her daughter, Tiphaine Auzière, recently spoke out about how these rumors affected their family, noting that even the grandchildren weren't spared from the "maliciousness" of the internet.
Why This Relationship Still Matters
People still talk about the Macrons because they represent a break from the norm. For a long time, the wives of French presidents were either quiet socialites or, in some cases, victims of very public infidelities (looking at you, Jacques Chirac and François Hollande).
With the Macrons, the dynamic is different. It’s a partnership that seems built on a very specific, intellectual bond that started in a drama room 30 years ago.
Whether you find their origin story romantic or controversial, there is no denying that Brigitte Macron is one of the most influential figures in the Élysée Palace today. She’s the one who tells him when his speeches are too long or when he's losing touch with the public.
If you’re looking to understand French politics, you have to look at the woman standing just a few inches behind the President. She isn't just a spouse; she is the person who helped build the man who currently leads the country.
Next Steps for Readers:
To get a better sense of how the French public views the First Lady today, you can look up the Charte de Transparence on the official Élysée website, which details her specific duties and the budget allocated for her staff. If you're interested in her social work, checking the latest updates from the Fondation des Hôpitaux will show you the specific projects she is currently spearheading across France.