The wives of French presidents have been birds in the gilded cage of the Elysée Palace, according to a new book, which tells of their boredom, frustration and feelings of being sidelined by a role that has no official recognition in France, reports FRANCE 24.
‘Premières Dames’, written in French by author Robert Schneider, describes the Elysée period of the lives of presidential wives including Danielle Mitterrand, Bernadette Chirac, Yvonne de Gaulle, Claude Pompidou and Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing. It covers both of Nicolas Sarkozy’s wives-in-office - Cecilia Sarkozy and Carla Bruni - as well as Valérie Trierweiler, the former partner of current president François Hollande.
Extracts from the book, published in the news magazine Le Point on Thursday, told of several incumbents’ disdain for the role. Madame Giscard d’Estaing, asked what she wished for now that she was first lady, said tartly, “Not to be.” Bernadette Chirac advised Cecilia Sarkozy to flee “this palace of ice”. Cecilia did, after only five months, saying, “First lady, I’m sick of it.”
Cecilia left despite the fact that, according to Schneider, she was the wife who wielded the most political influence. She advised on ministerial appointments including, most controversially, helping her friend Rachida Dati become justice minister.
At one point she opposed the nomination of a particular candidate for defence minister, arguing that he should be appointed immigration minister. “Less prestigious and more risky,” writes Schneider. “Nicolas agreed. Before reaching the Elysée, he had said many times, ‘If I am elected, my wife will play a role.’ It was the best way to hold on to her, he thought.”
Read more of this report from FRANCE 24.