French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron greet members of the public at the Lincoln Memorial April 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Photo / Getty Images
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron greet members of the public at the Lincoln Memorial April 23, 2018 in Washington, DC. Photo / Getty Images
How would you feel if one of your parents married someone your age?
The children of Brigitte Macron, whose controversial relationship with now-President of France Emmanuel has raised eyebrows for decades, have the answer.
The pair have been happily married for over a decade, with an age gap of 25 years, news.com.au reports.
Brigitte was Emmanuel's drama teacher in high school, and when they first fell in love in 1994, the now-President of France was just 15 years old.
In a new documentary, Brigitte Macron: A French Novel, Brigitte's youngest daughter, 34-year-old Tiphaine Auziere, speaks glowingly of their relationship.
Speaking for the first time about their love affair, Ms Auziere said her mum and now stepfather fell for each other very early.
"They were quite smitten and it was quite obvious between them and very difficult," she said, according to The Times.
Ms Auziere was just nine years old when they met. Her sister, Laurence, was in the same class as Emmanuel at the Lycee La Providence and reportedly came home one day saying: "Mummy, there is a crazy boy in our class who knows everything about everything."
When he was 16, Emmanuel publicly declared his love for the older woman for the first time.
Emmanuel's parents held a meeting with the teacher and told her to stop seeing him, at least until he was 18.
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"I can't promise you anything," she replied.
"If I have to give a vision of love, it's Emmanuel and Mummy," Ms Auziere said. "When they are together, it is almost as if the world doesn't exist."
She also said her parents managed their divorce in such a way that the children "suffered as little as possible".
According to Mr Macron's friend Pascale Bourdrel, Brigitte struggled with the age gap.
"It took a lot of courage for Brigitte to continue to see Emmanuel, to face his family," Mr Bourdrel said, according to Tech2. "There were meals to which she was invited, but not Emmanuel."
She initially didn't want to marry him.
Mr Bourdrel said Brigitte came to him one day and expressed reluctance because Emmanuel wanted to get married.
"She was a bit reluctant. I told her I couldn't see why, and she said: 'You don't understand his age, my age. Maybe he wants children.'
"I said, 'Brigitte, you're happy with him anyway. Take the happiness.'"
The pair eventually married in the autumn of 2007, a year after Brigitte's divorce from her first husband, André-Louis Auzière.
Their wedding took place in the beachfront town of Le Touquet. He was 29. She was 54.
"Each and every one of you is a witness to these last 13 years," said Macron in a toast to his bride and new family.
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"And you have accepted us. You have made us what we are today … I want to thank you for loving us the way we are, and I want to thank Brigitte's children because this has not been easy for them."
Brigitte did not appear in the documentary, but reportedly gave it her blessing.
Earlier this year, an unauthorised biography was released detailing their relationship.
According to Brigitte Macron: An Unfettered Woman, written by author Maelle Brun, the pair used to meet at the pool and Emmanuel woulde hide in the bushes if anyone came near.
When their relationship became known, the local townspeople alienated the older woman.
"From one day to the next, her friends with whom she was planning a vacation, refused to speak to her," Brun wrote.
The book claimed André-Louis left the town out of sheer embarrassment when the news broke. He didn't even return for his own mother's funeral years later.
"He was never seen again," a neighbour in Amiens told Brun. "It was as if he had disappeared."
While the couple put on a brave show for the media, Brigitte was privately distraught over the rumours and attention it received.
"This is a woman who has already endured a great deal of pain," a friend told the author.
Today Brigitte enjoys a solid approval rating.
According to a poll conducted for the French weekly magazine Paris Match, 67 per cent of people have a favourable opinion of the First Lady.
68 per cent of respondents said she "represented the country well abroad", with 64 per cent saying she has a "positive influence" on the French leader.
By comparison, only 43 per cent said they see Emmanuel in a positive light.
