The love lives of French politicians and an alternative Francophone USA

Inside France is editor Emma Pearson’s weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.

L’amour est dans le parlement

It appears now to be a fact universally acknowledged that a French politician with presidential ambitions must be in want of media interest in their love life.

While French politicos traditionally kept their private life private – to the extent that François Mitterand had a secret family who lived close to the presidential Elysée Palace and benefited from taxpayer funded security – these days public romance appears to be the name of the game.

After far right leader Jordan Bardella’s photoshoot with his new girlfriend, an Italian princess, centrist presidential hopeful Gabriel Attal has published a book spilling the beans on, among other things, his relationship with Stéphane Séjourné, aka “l’amour de ma vie” (the love of my life).

The pair were pacsé (in a civil partnership) in 2017 but split up in 2022. They obviously remained friends, and when Attal became prime minister in 2024, he appointed Séjourné as Foreign Minister. I recall that raised some scandal outside France, although within the country, most people simply shrugged, probably because Séjourné – a long-time Macron ally with experience at the European Commission – was evidently well qualified for the role. He’s now back at the EU as the Commissioner for Industry.

But Attal’s new book Un homme libre (a free man) reveals that they are back together and very much in love. Which is all very sweet and I hope that they’re very happy.

I think I preferred it when politicians’ romances were conducted behind closed doors, but Attal and Bardella – both young, media-savvy and ambitious – clearly think that ship has sailed.

They’re probably right, in fact, it sailed the moment that François Hollande was photographed on the back of that scooter, off to see his lover. Speaking of whom, the 71-year-old Hollande (aka Flamby) is also apparently considering a run for the presidency in 2027.

At this rate it might be quicker to list the people who aren’t planning a presidential bid next year.

Let the train take the strain

With growing uncertainty over summer flight schedules due to jet fuel shortages, there’s never been a better time to take the train, and with its excellent high-speed train links, France is the perfect place for a train-based summer break.

Here are 12 of my favourite routes that are both scenic and will take you to a fun French town. And you don’t have to be in France to do this – Paris has direct links to European cities including Berlin, Brussels, Amsterdam, Geneva, Milan, Turin, Barcelona and of course London (being in a train that goes under the sea never gets old).

For me, one of the major selling points is that with the train, your journey becomes part of the holiday.

I recently took the train from Paris to Milan (direct, 7 hours) and met up there with a friend who had flown. His flight time was just a couple of hours, but he had to get up 4 am to get to the airport, spend several hours in security and check-in queues, jam himself into the tiny Ryanair seat, spend more time in passport control queues on arrival and then another hour to travel into Milan itself.

I got up at 6 am, went to the station and got straight on the train (with a good coffee and a croissant) then spent a lovely morning in a comfortable seat, alternatively reading, day-dreaming and gazing at the view of the Alps. I arrived in central Milan just in time for a late lunch. 

The only thing I find hard to reconcile is that it’s still significantly cheaper to fly, due at least in part to government subsidies of the airline industry. This is something that surely will have to change in the years to come if governments want to get serious about tackling the climate crisis.

Photo of the week 

One Paris cyclist got a bit of a surprise when he returned to his bike to find that approximately 10,000 bees had set up home underneath the seat. 

This story has a happy ending – transport authorities contacted a local beekeeper who turned up (also on a bike – does this give Paris an extra point in its quest to be the ‘new Amsterdam’?) and collected the swarm, allowing the cyclist to reclaim his machine.

Paris has quite a few beekeepers and there are hives on top of some of the city’s most iconic buildings including Notre-Dame cathedral (they survived the fire, happily) and the Grand Palais.

Because bees are both vital and endangered, the best thing to do if you find a nest or swarm on your property is to call a local beekeeper, who will usually be happy to come and take them away.

READ ALSO: What to do if you find a bee, wasp or hornet nest on your French property

Gotcha of the week?

‘If it wasn’t for the British, America would be speaking French’, commented the British king Charles III on a state visit to President Donald Trump in America.

It was in response to Trump’s comments, in January, that if it wasn’t for the US, Europe would be speaking German.

And the usual French response to that is ‘if it wasn’t for the French, America would still be a British colony’.

There’s been a certain amount of glee at Charles’ ‘roasting’ of Trump, and heaven knows I understand the desire for any tiny crumb of good news right now. But I’m afraid that I find all of these comments completely pathetic, especially if – as they often are – presented as some kind of ‘gotcha’ response in questions of modern geopolitics or diplomacy.

Two countries were on the same side 70 years ago so that affects defence spending in 2026? Two countries were at war in the 1750s so that affects 21st century diplomacy? These are not serious statements and – fun as it may be to take sideswipes at people we dislike – these are serious times which call for serious diplomats.

Having said that, it is quite fun to imagine the Académie française giving itself an ulcer by trying to control the purity of the French language if the global superpower of the US was francophone. But would the US have become a global superpower if it started life as a French colony? Who can say, because history is complicated.

Inside France is editor Emma Pearson’s weekly look at some of the news, talking points and gossip in France that you might not have heard about. It’s published each Saturday and members can receive it directly to their inbox, by going to their newsletter preferences or adding their email to the sign-up box in this article.