Home › France24       06.06.2026

A look back at French former first lady Bernadette Chirac's legacy

Bernadette Chirac, the steel-willed former first lady of France who spent 12 years at the Élysée Palace from 1995 to 2007 beside President Jacques Chirac – weathering his notorious infidelities with dry humor while building her own political power base in rural France – has died. She was 93. FRANCE 24's Philip Turle breaks down her legacy.

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