The bling-free first couple still give a nod to Gallic style
As France’s new First Lady swept up the red-carpeted steps of the Elysée Palace alone, Emmanuel Macron found himself briefly – and no doubt not for the last time – upstaged by his wife.
Taking it in her stride, Brigitte Macron staked her claim to the palace she will call home for the next five years in a lavender blue dress and double-breasted jacket.
Protocol dictated the new presidential couple should turn up separately to avoid embarrassment for the former occupant, François Hollande – now a bachelor.
Mrs Macron, we were swiftly informed, had “borrowed”, not bought, her outfit from Vuitton while her husband had spent a relatively modest €450 for his dark blue Paris-made suit.
The message was clear – Gallic style rules but the age of lavish bling is over. Minor details perhaps, but evidence that every symbol counts in Act I of Emmanuel Macron’s presidency.
Then it was Mr Macron’s turn. With the presidential vehicle a topic of intense national debate, Mr Macron arrived in a utilitarian Renault Espace people carrier but later switched to another French brand, a Citroën DS7,
‘As Mr Macron kissed his wife, the orchestra upped the tempo by breaking into Offenbach’s can can’
keeping the peace among rival carmakers in his first stab at French diplomacy.
Looking even fresher than his 39 years, France’s youngest president made a measured, portentous march up the Elysée steps towards a beaming Mr Hollande.
After exchanging the nuclear codes, Mr Macron showed his predecessor to his car, with Mr Hollande turning at the last moment to call out “bon courage” – a plaintive cry from the least popular president in French history.
And so on to the future. Entering the gilded Salle des fêtes to the strains of Saint-saëns, Mr Macron summoned a presidential tone after being sworn in, promising to heal France’s divisions and breathe new life into the European Union.
“The time has come for France to meet the challenges of our time. The divisions and fractures that run through our society must be overcome,” he told the nation.
He saved his steeliest sequence for opponents, and union leaders present in the room, pledging not to backtrack on labour reform, like so many of his predecessors. “I will not reverse course on any of the commitments taken in front of the French people,” he promised, voicing confidence they could “deal with deep change”.
“From this very evening I will be at work. Long live the republic and long live France.” As Mr Macron planted a kiss on his wife’s cheek, the orchestra unexpectedly upped the tempo by breaking into Offenbach’s can-can anthem. La République en Marche – or en Dansant perhaps?