Brigitte Macron’s relationship with her husband, French President Emmanuel Macron, is once again under scrutiny after the First Lady appeared to publicly reject and ignore him during their high-profile arrival in the UK—several weeks after she seemingly shoved his face away in a viral incident on the tarmac in Vietnam.
The Macrons arrived in the country for a three-day state visit hosted by the British royal family, meant to reaffirm diplomatic ties between France and the United Kingdom.
As they landed, Macron extended his hand to help his wife down the steps of their plane—only to be ignored as she gripped the railing and continued without acknowledging him.
According to UK-based body language expert Judi James, the moment was a clear display of “frosty love language,” and a clear sign of their relationship falling apart.
Body language expert hints at Emmanuel Macron’s marriage being in trouble, as the couple display a cold love language
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Brigitte’s demeanor marks yet another episode in what James described as a notable and progressive lack of warmth in the couple’s relationship. Viewers have taken note, theorizing that the First Lady may be genuinely pissed off at Macron for reasons that remain unknown.
“He must have done something wrong to her, she’s hurting,” one reader wrote.
“She needs to have some decorum. Private battles should not play out in public,” another added.
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
For James, the incident serves as a major public relations misstep—especially considering the damage control Macron was forced into after their altercation in May.
“Brigitte might be expected to be welded to her husband's arm wearing a look of eternal devotion after that incident of the rough-looking shove with her hand,” the expert noted. “But instead here she appears to both reject and even ignore him.”
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
The Vietnam tarmac shove became a viral spectacle, sparking international scrutiny and resurfacing uncomfortable questions about the couple’s relationship.
It quickly spiraled into a political and personal headache for Macron, who had to downplay the footage as a harmless “squabble.”
The incident added fuel to the fire that began with Brigitte seemingly shoving her husband in the face during a Vietnam visit
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After the arrival, the Macrons joined Prince William and Kate in a royal motorcade to Windsor Castle, where King Charles and Queen Camilla officially welcomed them.
Though the couple later stood together on the Royal Dais and participated in a carriage procession through Windsor, there was little visible affection between them.
At the state banquet in St. George’s Hall, the French President gave a rousing speech about unity and shared values between both countries, and avoided any personal anecdotes about his wife.
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The latest footage reopened the discussion around the couple’s relationship. Detractors accuse Brigitte of grooming Macron and French media of manipulating the narrative of their relationship.
Others have resurfaced long-standing rumors—once dismissed by Macron himself—that the marriage is a political facade and that he is secretly gay.
The rumors got so loud that Emmanuel was forced to address them publicly, swatting them away with a mix of humor and thinly veiled irritation.
“Those who want to spread the idea that I am a fake, that I have hidden lives or something else, first of all, it's unpleasant for Brigitte,” he told supporters at the time.
The body language expert’s assessment was questioned by some netizens, while others commented on the couple’s “disturbing” age-gap
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
More neutral netizens, on the other hand, were quick to dismiss the body language expert’s assessment, believing it to be nothing more than a mean-spirited fabrication meant to bolster tabloid headlines.
“This is just outright fabricating a story,” one commenter wrote. “I’m no fan of these two, at all. But he was just putting his hand up in case she needed it and she was watching her steps. This is the biggest nothing burger.”
“Maybe she felt safer holding onto the hand rail than her husband’s arms,” one commenter reasoned.
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
Still, the incident managed to motivate the same type of comments that have been hounding the couple since they met in 1993, when Emmanuel was a 15-year-old student, and Brigitte a 39-year-old literature teacher.
Image credits: The Royal Family Channel
New generations have begun to question the foundations of the Macron marriage, with members of Gen Z being just as put off by their age difference.
“I just read the comments and found out that they were teacher and student, and that [they met] when he was 15?!” one user wrote.
“Not just the age gap,” another added. “More than that, the fact that she was his teacher when he was just a kid is disturbing.”
"Cold as ice." Netizens took to social media to share their thoughts on the Macrons
