France's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, captured global attention this week — not for a speech or policy stance, but for what appeared to be a shove in the face of her husband, President Emmanuel Macron.
Footage of the moment, captured as the couple disembarked from their plane in Vietnam for an official visit, instantly went viral - shining a spotlight on the couple's 18-year marriage.
But while social media buzzed with speculation about the face shove, President Macron dismissed the incident with a shrug, saying: “We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife.”
He added with trademark sarcasm: “It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe.”
This brief moment of public playfulness has reignited a longstanding fascination with the deeply unconventional and, at times, controversial relationship between France’s first couple — one that started in the halls of a Catholic high school decades ago.
A Scandalous Start: Teacher and Student
In 1993, Emmanuel Macron was a 15-year-old student at La Providence High School in Amiens, northern France. Brigitte Trogneux, then 39, was a teacher at the school — and married, with three children, per The Economic Times.
Their connection blossomed through shared creativity: the pair collaborated on a school play. Macron’s biographer, Anne Fulda, quoted Brigitte telling a friend: “You know, the day when we wrote the play together, I had a feeling I was working with Mozart.”
“The writing became an excuse. I felt that we had always known each other," she added, per The Independent.
Although Brigitte never taught Macron directly, their closeness raised concerns. Macron’s parents, learning of their bond, initially believed their son was interested in Brigitte’s daughter, Laurence, his classmate. The reality was far more unsettling for them.
As Fulda’s book recounts, Macron’s mother Françoise said: “We couldn’t believe it. What is clear is that when Emmanuel met Brigitte we couldn’t just say: ‘That’s great!’”
Hoping to cool things down, the Macrons sent their son to Paris to finish his schooling - something that Bridgette says she insisted upon.
When asked if she tried to resist their attraction to one another, she told Elle France: "I was the one who insisted that Emmanuel go to Paris to finish his schooling. There was nothing between us at that time, but the spiteful gossip was already making the rounds.
"My only concern was my children, Sébastien, Laurence, and Tiphaine. Not the rest of the world."
Brigitte was later confronted by the teen’s parents, reportedly telling them: “I cannot promise you anything.”
“I Will Marry You”
Despite their physical separation, Emmanuel remained steadfast. Now 17, he told Brigitte: “I will be back for you. Whatever you do, I will marry you.”
In her 2017 interview with Elle France, Brigitte described the period of separation as painfully slow and emotionally taxing, saying: “The great distances that separated us physically until 2007. But we wrote to each other all the time during that period.”
“It all unfolded very slowly," she continued. "I gradually brought my family to realize that. Emmanuel gradually brought his family to realize that.”
Brigitte divorced her husband and married Emmanuel Macron in 2007. She was 54. He was 29.
"We Don’t Waste One Minute Worrying About the Age Difference"
The couple’s 25-year age gap has remained a focal point of public curiosity and tabloid fodder. Yet both Macrons have handled the attention with humor and defiance.
Speaking to Elle Magazine, Brigitte scoffed at critics: “Emmanuel’s only fault is to be younger than me! It’s a joke between us; we don’t waste one minute worrying about the age difference.”
She added bluntly: “Any fool who claims that I used to read his poems and his homework is lying.”
Brigitte later said: “Of course, we have breakfast, me with my wrinkles, him with his fresh face, but that’s how it is. If I had not made that choice, I would have missed out on my life.”
Viral Clips and Public Life
The Hanoi video, showing what many interpreted as a slap or reprimand, only added to the couple’s mythos. In the clip, Brigitte appears to place her hand firmly on Emmanuel’s face as they waited to descend the stairs of their aircraft. Macron, seemingly initially startled, quickly composed himself and waved to the crowd.
But the gesture, labeled everything from playful to frosty by online commentators, has only brought more eyes to their highly scrutinized relationship.
Brigitte has remained a key figure in Macron’s political journey. She joined him on the 2017 campaign trail, stood beside him during his inauguration, and continues to be an influential presence in French public life.
The Macrons’ love story has defied social norms, parental interventions, and relentless public commentary. And yet, as Brigitte once declared: “There are times in your life where you need to make crucial choices.”