Top 7 interesting facts about Brigitte Macron

Top 7 interesting facts about Brigitte Macron

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Brigitte Marie- Claude Macron is not a very strange name, you actually should have heard about her and would know a few things about her. If you are still scratching your head wondering where you saw or heard the name, you might know her as being the wife of France’s President Emmanuel Macron. She was born Brigitte Trogneux, on April 13th, 1953, in Amiens in Northern France. Her bourgeois parents Simone and Jean were pâtissiers who owned the chocolate company Chocolaterie Trogneux. She lost her sister to a read accident in 1961, who was with her six-year-old daughter and husband.

She is one of the most popular women around, occasionally appearing in the media alongside her husband, the President of France, but apart from being the First Lady of France, how much else do you know about Brigitte Macron? Here are some facts that will help you understand and know her even more! Read on!

1. She married her former student 

Image: Wikimedia Commons

One of the most outstanding things about France’s First Lady Brigitte is that she married her former drama student, who also happens to be the same as her children! Her husband was 15 years and she was 40 years at the time of their meeting in 1983. Her relationship and marriage to a much younger man were very unconventional and even was met with disapproval from a lot of family members as well as friends, some of who distanced themselves from her. A book written about the president reveals that the parents were shocked at the relationship that they moved Emmanuel to another school and even asked Brigitte to stop seeing their son!

2. She is a teacher

Image: Wikimedia Commons

Brigitte has been a teacher of French, Latin, and drama for a while. She previously taught at La Providence High School, where she met her husband, who was a student there. She has also taught at the Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague in Paris. She has however not always been a teacher. Before she ventured into teaching, she was the press secretary at the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Chamber of Commerce where she was employed in 1982. She officially quit teaching in 2015 to focus on helping her husband. 

She went back to teaching, occasionally teaching French to students at the Clichy-sous-Bois, Seine-Saint-Denis, an institution that offers pieces of training for people between 25-30 years who left school without formal training. This was Brigitte’s brainchild and is financed by companies like LVMH. 

3. She loves the outdoors

Image: Quartz

Being the first lady is quite an exhausting job, and one needs a few things to do every so often. Brigitte is a lover of the outdoors and does enjoy some hiking. In her youth, she was also a notable figure in figure skating in Amiens. Apart from these activities, she also enjoys going to the theatre once in a while, attends art exhibitions in museums, as well as cultural events. She loves to have a good time.

4. Family woman

The Silver Times

Brigitte has been married twice, first to André-Louis Auzière, a banker. They got married in 1974 and divorced in 2006 and with whom she had three children with, Tiphaine Auzière a lawyer, Laurence Auzière-Jourdan a cardiologist, Sébastien Auzière who is an engineer. She has seven grandchildren. She often mentions that she needed approval from her children before marrying Emmanuel Marcos since she did not want to hurt them.

She and President Emmanuel Macaron have been married since 2007. 

5. She plays a big role in her husband’s career

NY Times

Even though she is not paid for the tasks she does for her husband; according to her husband, she does help out with his work. She has been helping him even before he became the president- like when he was appointed Minister of the Economy. She reads and approves speeches, she handles the media during his appearances and even accompanies him to some events, local and international. Even though she works closely with her husband, she however does not have an interest or aspiration in politics, choosing to steer clear of politics and focusing on other initiatives like teaching. Running for the seat of City Council seat in the Truchtersheim is the only time she has tried her hand in politics, and she did not win.

She does not have an official title, as her husband’s petition to have the title of ‘The First Lady’ with her assignments and resources was opposed after he was elected president. She has accompanied her husband to many events including those with world leaders like the USA president Donald Trump and his wife Melania, Japan to meet the Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife Akie Abe, meeting the Jordan King Abdullah II and his wife Queen Rania, Germany’s Chancellor Angela Markel, as well as to China to meet the Chinese president Xi Jinping and his wife Peng Liyuan, and Russia among many other countries.

6. She loves fashion

Image: Fabiosa

Brigitte loves her fashion. It is not very surprising since she is French, and fashion is very important for the French. She is also very flexible in her way of dressing, sometimes looking crisp, fresh, and official in tailored suits, blazers, and other outfits, as well as being casual in leather dress-down dresses, jeans, and sometimes leather jackets to wearing dinner gowns. She is also known to wear a lot of clothes from notable designers like Louis Vuitton.

7. She has an autobiography 

Image: Amazon.com

Brigitte has appeared in many publications, which is understandable since she is a public figure. She has been featured in different editions of Elle and other magazines since her husband appeared in the political scene, she has been in newspapers, and even articles like this one! Discussing different things about her life, family, career, and even fashion. The ever happy, ever-smiling first lady has an autobiography- Brigitte Macron, The Liberated Woman, which tells a story of the teacher who became her student’s wife. The story of her life is told in the book, which was published in 2018. A lot of details including their dating life is captured in the book. You should read it!