In 1999, Bernadette Chirac went to Le Havre to inaugurate the Maison de l’Adolescence, a space dedicated to the mental health of adolescents, in Normandy. This Thursday, June 11, 26 years later, another First Lady went to Le Havre to inaugurate the new Maison de l’Adolescence: Brigitte Macron. President of the Hospital Foundation, like Bernadette Chirac before her, the First Lady follows in the footsteps of her predecessor and wanted to pay tribute to her. In an interview given to GalaBrigitte Macron spoke about her relationship with Bernadette Chirac, who died on June 5.
26 years later: Brigitte Macron in the footsteps of Bernadette Chirac
On June 5, Bernadette Chirac died at the age of 93. The announcement of his death moved France, and in particular several political figures… including his great friend Hillary Clinton, who had gone to Corrèze with the former First Lady. Renowned for her character, her righteousness and her devotion, Jacques Chirac’s wife has inspired many women… including Brigitte Macron.
Interrogate pair Galashe remembered her relationship with Bernadette Chirac: “We had a tacit bond, between president’s wives. We understood each other very well and we communicated as soon as possible. I saw her for the last time on May 1, 2026, a moment that I remember very fondly. With her characteristic humor, Madame Chirac told me that she watched me a lot on television but that I needed to appear more.”
In 2019, Bernadette Chirac asked Brigitte Macron to succeed her at the head of the Hospital Foundation. A heavy task accepted by the First Lady: “I took it as a huge mark of confidence”she admits to Gala. “I’m so happy that she asked me to take up the torch, because it allows me to lead a fight that I believe in a lot.”
Bernadette Chirac’s funeral will take place in a highly symbolic church
If Hillary Clinton had affirmed that Bernadette Chirac had been a model, this is also the case for Brigitte Macron: “Her energy and her will allowed her to overcome everything. In this, she remains and will always remain a great inspiration.”
This Friday, June 12, the funeral of “Madame Pièces jaunes” will take place at the Sainte-Clotilde basilica, in Paris, at 2:30 p.m. A highly symbolic place, since it was in this church that she married Jacques Chirac on March 16, 1956, against the advice of her family. A ceremony that Brigitte Macron will not miss. A tribute open to all will also be paid on Sunday in Corrèze, the heartland of the Chiracs, where the family still owns the Château de Bity in Sarran.
