POLITICS
Brigitte Trogneux: From Macron's teacher to France's first lady
2017-05-08 12:15 GMT+8
8226km to Beijing
Editor
Xie Zhenqi
She has been in her husband's life since he was 15 – first as a teacher, then lover and now as his first lady.
And Brigitte Trogneux will be at Emmanuel Macron's side when the 39-year-old pro-EU centrist takes office as modern France's youngest ever president, after winning Sunday's decisive runoff vote.
Elegant and svelte, 64-year-old Brigitte is her husband's closest collaborator, and he has pledged to give her an official role in the presidential palace.
Macron waves while standing with his wife Brigitte Trogneux in front of the pyramid at the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, on Sunday, May 7, 2017. /VCG Photo
"Every night we debrief together and we repeat what we have heard about each other," she told Paris Match magazine last year. "I have to pay attention to everything, do the maximum to protect him."
Trogneux has been on the cover of dozens of magazines and at her husband's side for packed rallies, while the world has been fascinated by the couple's unorthodox romance.
But before all that she was another man's wife and a mother of three who taught French, Latin and drama. She was on course for a comfortable, conventional life.
This file photo taken on April 23, 2017 shows Emmanuel Macron kissing his wife Brigitte Trogneux (L) on stage at the Parc des Expositions in Paris after the first round of the Presidential election. /VCG Photo
Brigitte Trogneux was born on April 13, 1953, in Amiens in northern France, which is also Emmanuel Macron's hometown, into a prosperous family that runs a well-known pastry and chocolate business.
Then in the early 1990s she was astounded by a young man acting in a school play. It was Emmanuel.
Trogneux quickly agreed when he asked her to help him work on a script and thus they began to build a bond.
"I will marry you"
The teacher, then 39, was "totally captivated" by 15-year-old Macron's intelligence.
Trogneux, pictured as a young teacher, was highly regarded for her well-prepared and captivating lessons. The young Emmanuel Macron fell for her while they worked on a school drama together but his parents were upset by his infatuation. /Youtube Photo
The feeling was mutual and two years later he made a bold prediction.
"At the age of 17, Emmanuel said to me, 'Whatever you do, I will marry you'," Trogneux told Paris Match.
Macron went off to finish high school at an elite establishment in Paris, but he kept pursuing her and little by little she was won over.
Trogneux left her husband Andre Louis Auziere, a banker, in 2006 and married Macron a year later.
Sealed with a kiss: This was the moment the young Brigitte Trogneaux kissed her pupil, Macron, on the cheek after his impressive performance in the school play. /Youtube Photo
She moved to Paris, where he continued his studies and she worked as a teacher.
"When I make up my mind about something, I do it," she said in a documentary about Macron.
Trogneux is described as warm and down-to-earth by those who know her, who also stress her charm and positive nature.
One of them, Gregoire Campion, met her on a beach in the northern resort town of Le Touquet over 40 years ago.
Their beach huts were next to each other and he remembers the young Trogneux "wasn't a party animal" but was "very educated."
Macron, economy minister at the time, arrives at the Elysee Palace with Trogneux in Paris, France, to attend a dinner in honor of Spain's King Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on June 2, 2015. /VCG Photo
Le Touquet has remained a part of her life and the now grandmother of seven has spent many weekends there with her family.
She was at Macron's side when he cast his ballot there on Sunday.
It is a place to gather with her son and two daughters from her first marriage – who have grown up to be an engineer, a cardiologist, and a lawyer.
Yet the life with her politician husband and the massive commitment of the campaign remains a major focus.
"I am lucky to share this with Emmanuel, even if when it comes to politics I haven't had much choice," Trogneux has said.
(With inputs from AFP)
8226km
Copyright © 2017
SHARE
- EXPLORE
- MORE
FOLLOW US
