You’ve seen the photos of them walking hand-in-hand at the Élysée Palace or during a G7 summit. There is a specific kind of chemistry between French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, that usually makes people do a double-take. It isn't just the chic French fashion or the political power. It's the gap.
Honestly, the world has been obsessed with emmanuel macron wife age since he first stepped onto the global stage in 2017. People act like they’ve never seen an age difference before, but this one is a bit different. It’s 24 years. Or 25, depending on how you're counting the months.
How old is Brigitte Macron right now?
Let's get the math out of the way first. Brigitte Macron was born on April 13, 1953.
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As of right now in early 2026, Brigitte is 72 years old. She’ll be turning 73 this April. Her husband, Emmanuel, was born in December 1977. He just turned 48.
That means she is nearly a quarter-century older than the man running France. If the genders were reversed, nobody would blink. We see older men with younger women in Hollywood and politics every single day. But because it’s a woman who is older, the internet tends to lose its mind.
The couple has been married since 2007. That is nearly 20 years of marriage. Whatever you think about the "scandalous" beginnings, they’ve outlasted a lot of Hollywood "it" couples.
The origin story that sounds like a movie script
The thing about the emmanuel macron wife age conversation is that it’s inextricably linked to how they met. It wasn't at a bar or on a dating app. It was in a classroom.
Brigitte was a drama teacher at Lycée La Providence in Amiens. Emmanuel was her 15-year-old student. She was 39 at the time. She was also married to André-Louis Auzière and had three kids of her own. One of her daughters was actually in the same class as Emmanuel.
It’s the kind of thing that would be a true-crime documentary if it happened today in some countries.
Emmanuel’s parents were horrified. They thought he was crushing on Brigitte's daughter. When they realized it was the teacher, they packed him off to Paris to finish school. They hoped the distance would kill the "crush."
Before he left, he reportedly told her, "You cannot get rid of me. I will come back and I will marry you."
He was 17 when he made that promise. He kept it.
Why the age gap is a "joke" to them
Brigitte has been pretty open about how weird their situation looked to the outside world. She once told Paris Match that she knew she was "wrecking" her life by choosing him, but she felt she would miss out on her life if she didn't.
They actually stayed in touch for ten years while he was in Paris. She waited until her children were "on the rails"—basically grown up—before she finally divorced her first husband in 2006.
Nowadays, they joke about it. Brigitte has famously quipped that Emmanuel has to win elections now because, by the time the next ones roll around, her face will be the problem. It's a self-deprecating French humor that seems to work for them.
Breaking down the timeline
If you're trying to keep the years straight, it looks something like this:
- 1953: Brigitte is born in Amiens.
- 1974: She marries her first husband, André-Louis Auzière.
- 1977: Emmanuel is born.
- 1993: They meet at the theater workshop. She’s 39, he’s 15.
- 2006: Brigitte finally gets her divorce.
- 2007: They get married in Le Touquet. He’s 29, she’s 54.
- 2017: Emmanuel becomes the youngest President of France.
- 2026: They remain one of the most talked-about couples in the world.
The cultural impact of their relationship
France has a different vibe when it comes to romance. There’s this idea of à chacun sa vie—to each their own life. While the American press was busy analyzing the ethics of a teacher-student romance, many French voters were more interested in his economic policies.
Still, it wasn't all smooth sailing. During the 2017 and 2022 campaigns, Brigitte was the target of some pretty nasty misogyny. People called her "the first grandmother of France." There were even wild, debunked conspiracy theories about her identity.
But here’s the reality: she is his closest advisor. He has said she is his "anchor." He doesn't make big moves without talking to her first. In the hyper-masculine world of global politics, having a wife who is significantly older and clearly more experienced in life is a power move he doesn't shy away from.
What we can learn from the Macrons
Whether you find their history romantic or a bit "cringe," there are some actual takeaways here about how we view age and relationships.
- Longevity matters. A lot of people said they wouldn't last. They’ve been together in some capacity for over 30 years.
- Age is a social construct (mostly). The 24-year gap hasn't stopped them from functioning as a high-level political unit.
- Public opinion is fickle. The same people who criticized them in 2017 now often praise Brigitte for her style and her work with the Fondation des Hôpitaux.
If you're following the emmanuel macron wife age story because you're interested in the "scandal," you're likely decades late to the party. The scandal happened in the 90s. Now, it's just a long-term marriage between two people who seem to genuinely like each other's company.
If you want to understand the modern French presidency, you have to understand Brigitte. She isn't just the wife in the background. She is the person he has been trying to impress since he was a teenager in a drama club. That’s a lot of history to bring into the Élysée Palace.
For more on the current political landscape in France or updates on the First Lady's initiatives, you can check the official site of the Élysée. It's also worth looking into the LIVE (L’Institut des Vocations pour l’Emploi) program, which Brigitte chairs, to see how she’s using her background in education to help adults get back into the workforce.