Brigitte Macron gives rare interview on falling in love as a teacher with schoolboy Emmanuel
Brigitte Macron has spoken about her history with the French president
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In a rare interview with Paris Match magazine, Brigitte Macron said she deliberately put off marrying her husband French President Emmanuel Macron for ten years for the sake of her three children.
The French First Lady said she didn't want to ruin her children's lives before she married the now-French President.
Brigitte was 25 years older than Macron when he fell in love with her while she was teaching him Drama.
The future president was a 15 year old pupil at the Catholic Providence school in Amiens, in northern France.
Brigitte Macron and her husband Emmanuel
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Their relationship caused a scandal in the province as their romance blossomed. After being sent to a school in Paris, Macron's desire to be with his teacher grew.
Brigitte said she had convinced herself that he would "'fall in love with someone his [own] age."
She said the "only obstacles" to the pair's relationship were her children, as she didn't want to "wreck their lives".
Brigitte's son is three years older than Macron. Her daughters, now aged 46 and 39, are of similar age to her second husband.
She said: "That lasted ten years, the time to put them on the rails. You can imagine what they were hearing. But I didn't want to miss out on my life
Brigitte Macron and her husband Emmanuel during the G7 summit in 2021
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The pair married in 2007 while Macron was a civil servant in his late 20s. She divorced her estranged husband André-Louis Auzière a year earlier.
Brigitte said that she doesn't know what her parents would have said about her marriage to her former student, but her siblings would joke about the relationship.
She said: "'I had many brilliant pupils and none had his capability. I have always admired him."
The couple live together in the Élysée Palace. During the day France's First Lady teachers adult education for charity and focused on good causes.
French President Emanuel Macron and wife Brigitte arrive at the State Funeral of Queen Elizabeth II
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Brigitte also praised the King and Queen, who visited Paris in September. She said: "When the royal couple came, I was worried.
"But right from their arrival at the Arc de Triomphe, when Camilla got out of the car and kissed me, they set the tone."
"[Charles] is very polished, very cultivated, very funny. What sums them up is their delicacy."
She told how the the King and Queen met with her and Macron for a private aperitif at the Élysée Palace "because they do not eat much".