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Letter From Paris

Sex scandals of French presidents and a bizarre claim of a First Lady being born a man

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TOPSHOT - France's President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte Macron attend a ceremony during their visit to The British Museum in London on July 9, 2025, during the second day of a three-day state visit to Britain. (Photo by Ludovic MARIN / POOL / AFP)

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte attending a ceremony at the British Museum in London on July 9.

PHOTO: AFP

Follow topic:
  • Emmanuel and Brigitte Macron are suing Candace Owens in the US for defamation over false claims that Brigitte Macron was "born a man".
  • The Macrons' lawsuit marks a shift in French politics, historically tolerant of leaders' private lives, and aims to combat conspiracy theories.
  • Despite legal action in France, the initial case was lost as the court ruled gender change isn't defamatory, highlighting the difficulty of winning such cases.

AI generated

Tourists usually take over the French capital during August.

True Parisians – those who run France as well as a large share of the city’s ordinary residents – decamp to their holiday homes elsewhere in the country.

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