Brigitte Macron

Brigitte Macron (born April 13, 1953, Amiens, France) first lady of France since May 14, 2017, as the wife of French Pres. Emmanuel Macron. She formerly worked as an educator and is a vocal advocate for several causes and charities.

Early life, education, and career

Brigitte Macron is the youngest of six children born to Simone (née Pujol) and Jean Trogneux. Her parents were third-generation owners of the Amiens, France-based chocolatier Jean Trogneux, now run by fifth-generation owner Jean-Alexandre Trogneux, Macron’s nephew. She was raised in an affluent and well-known household in Amiens. She attended Catholic schools and graduated with distinction, going on to receive a secondary school teaching qualification in literature and French language and a master of arts degree.

In June 1974, at age 21, she married banker André-Louis Auzière, and the couple had three children: son Sébastien (born 1975) and daughters Laurence (born 1977) and Tiphaine (born 1984). She adopted her husband’s last name and was known as Brigitte Auzière. In 1982 she became the press officer for the Nord-Pas-de-Calais Chamber of Commerce, her first professional job before she began her career in education. She taught French and Latin in Paris and then in Strasbourg, France, when her husband was transferred there. In 1991 the family returned to Amiens, where she taught at Lycée La Providence and was involved in the school’s theater program.

Marriage to Emmanuel Macron

Brigitte Auzière met her future husband, Emmanuel Macron (then 15 years old), in 1993 while teaching at Lycée La Providence, where he was a student in her daughter’s class. The two worked together to adapt the Eduardo De Filippo play The Art of Comedy (1964) for a school production and eventually developed romantic feelings. This was controversial at the time, as he was a minor while she was more than twice his age and married with children. His parents, concerned about the relationship, sent him to Lycée Henri-IV, a school in Paris, to complete his studies. The two, however, continued their relationship, writing to each other frequently.

In 1994 André-Louis Auzière moved out of the family home in Amiens, though he and Brigitte would remain married until January 2006. He maintained a quiet profile until his death in 2019. Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron married in October 2007. She moved to Paris, teaching at Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague until 2015. Since then she has focused on supporting her husband’s political career.

Politics and causes supported

Macron (then Auzière) had previously attempted to enter the political arena, running unsuccessfully as an independent for the city council of Truchtersheim, about 12 miles (20 km) northwest of Strasbourg. Her opponent and future mayor, Justin Vogel, later praised and even adopted some of her ideas.

Macron’s next foray into politics came as part of Emmanuel Macron’s political career. In 2014, when he was appointed finance minister in François Hollande’s Socialist government, she started attending meetings and organizing dinners to help him network at the ministry. She went on to play a key role in his 2017 presidential election campaign. His victory at age 39 made him the youngest president in the 59-year history of the country’s Fifth Republic. He was reelected for another five-year term in 2022.

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When Emmanuel Macron was first elected, he proposed formalizing his wife’s role with an official “first lady” title and a budget, but an online petition against the plan led instead to the creation of a “transparency charter” that outlined her role and responsibilities within the government. The charter specifies that Brigitte Macron will support her husband’s presidential endeavors, represent France at international summits and meetings, and work with charities and organizations in the “fields of disability, education, health, culture, child protection and gender equality.”

Brigitte Macron has been a vocal advocate for several causes, such as inclusive opportunities for individuals with disabilities. She has also spoken against online and in-school bullying and for the need to protect children. In September 2018 she initiated the LIVE (Institute of Vocations for Employment) project, aimed at helping unemployed young adults gain skills to return to the workforce. She was elected chair of the Fondation de l’Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de Paris (English: Public Assistance Foundation – Paris Hospitals) in June 2019; the foundation seeks to improve patient care and the lives of health-care workers. Since 2023 she has been involved with the Pièces Jaunes Gala, a charity event that raises money to help hospitals improve care for vulnerable populations.

Controversies and lawsuit

In May 2025 Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron’s relationship came under scrutiny after a video showed her hands pushing his face as they were disembarking the presidential jet in Hanoi, Vietnam. Initially the Élysée Palace (the office of the president of France) dismissed the viral video as a deepfake, but an official later acknowledged it was authentic, saying that it showed a “moment of closeness” between the two and that they were “decompressing one last time before the start of the visit” by having a laugh. The president told reporters in Hanoi that he and his wife were “joking around, as we often do.” In July 2025 the Macrons launched a suit against Candace Owens, an American commentator and activist associated with the far right. Owens had repeatedly amplified claims, originating in French conspiratorial circles, that Brigitte is a man. The Macrons’ lawyer described the suit as “a last resort” to force Owens to “stop spreading these lies.”