Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, is once again in the hot seat. Particularly in the popular imagination, the focus is on his age and his relationship with his wife, Brigitte Macron. After all, Emmanuel was just 15 years old when he first met Brigitte, who was then 39. Their relationship today goes through one of the 24-year-old age! To say that their relationship created a media maelstrom would be an understatement, especially considering their unusual age-gap relationship. As recent events unfolded, the Élysée Palace inadvertently stirred the pot, reigniting public interest in their relationship history.
The couple’s relationship began in an unusual setting: a theater class where Brigitte was Emmanuel’s teacher. Although the 23-year age difference was frowned upon by family and society at large, their relationship defied all conventions and only deepened over time. Throughout their discussion, it became clear that during their meeting, Brigitte had an instrumental hand in stoking Emmanuel’s love for the theater. This passion would soon take on an invaluable role in his public persona.
At first, reporters on the scene described a “20-year age difference”—later amending this to note the real 24-year age difference. Emmanuel Macron had received them when he was in the equivalent of year 10 of his schooling. This is an important detail that commonly gets lost in discussions about their marriage. We all know that the President has boldly professed his love for Brigitte. To add further complexity to their relationship, he insists that their bond transcends traditional limits.
Now, after the couple became embroiled in a recent scandal, their on-again, off-again relationship has once again returned to the national stage. While the couple were on this visit, a short video went viral that showed Brigitte playfully shoving Emmanuel’s face with her hands. The Élysée Palace’s first reaction was to deny the authenticity of that video. Later, they went back and validated it, approving it and calling it a “moment of intimacy” between the two.
In the scene portrayed in the video, Emmanuel raises his arms over his head, a universal sign of surrender and defeat. He jumps in mock alarm as Brigitte shoves him teasingly. He would subsequently call the unusual exchange “bickering,” or “rather joking.” He wanted to make it clear this was a joking instance that was caught on camera by surprise.
“The video becomes a sort of geoplanetary catastrophe. In the world we live in, we don’t have a lot of time to lose. This is all a bit of nonsense.” – Emmanuel Macron
The palace’s initial denial followed by a sudden acknowledgment raised eyebrows and prompted speculation about why such an incident would garner so much attention. The Élysée Palace’s social media account even responded to the incident with a tongue-in-cheek remark: “That’s a tissue. To blow your nose.”
This recent occurrence has brought back to the forefront conversations about the couple’s relationship and what the public believes to be their relationship’s nature. Ever since, cynics and dreamers alike have marveled at how their fantastical love story continues to unfold, inspiring admiration and skepticism in equal measure.
The media attention paid to Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron’s personal story belies a much sharper divide between their personal and professional lives. Even after years of marriage, they continue to endure constant attacks from many directions. It’s just people constantly asking about their age difference, how they met. The recent episode has brought this debate back to the forefront, making it seem like their love story is still romance, scandal and gossip worthy!