Bernadette Chirac, widow of former French president Jacques Chirac, dies at 93
Bernadette Chirac, the widow of former French president Jacques Chirac, died on Friday evening at the age of 93, her daughter Claude Chirac told AFP. Born Bernadette Chodron de Courcel, Chirac "passed away peacefully in the evening, surrounded by her loved ones," her daughter said. She had just turned 93 on May 18.
Chirac was France's only first lady to have held political office in her own right, serving as a general councillor for the Corrèze department in central France from 1979 to 2015. Married to Jacques Chirac for over 60 years, she remained largely in the shadow of the "great man," accompanying him through the various stages of his political career until his victory in the 1995 presidential election, on his third attempt.
Coverage comparison
The death of Bernadette Chirac was reported by France 24, which also provided details about her life, her funeral arrangements, and the tributes planned in her memory. The coverage highlighted her dual legacy as both a supportive political spouse and a formidable figure in her own right.
Key claims
Bernadette Chirac was born on May 18, 1933, in Paris, and grew up in a family of diplomats in the 16th arrondissement of the capital. While studying at the prestigious Sciences Po Paris institution, she met Jacques Chirac, whom she married in 1956.
During her husband's first presidential term (1995-2002), she was initially relegated to the background, but she played a crucial role in his re-election in 2002 and became very popular with the French public, notably as the head of the Pièces Jaunes (Yellow Coins) campaign to benefit hospitalised children. She was also a favourite among right-wing politicians, who vied for her support in municipal and legislative elections.
With her classic, bourgeois appearance and strong political acumen, "Bernie," as she was nicknamed, was considered far more conservative than her husband. Jacques Chirac said that she was the only one to warn him about the rise of National Front leader Jean-Marie Le Pen during the 2002 presidential election. She also warned Chirac in 1997 against the disastrous consequences of dissolving the National Assembly.
The funeral will be held at the Parisian Basilica of Sainte-Clotilde, in accordance with the wishes of the deceased, her daughter told AFP. Bernadette and Jacques Chirac were married in the nearby Sainte-Clotilde chapel, where the funeral of the couple's eldest daughter, Laurence, was also held in 2016.
A tribute will also be paid to the former first lady on Sunday in Corrèze, where she served as a general councillor for several decades. The tribute will begin with a religious ceremony at 10am in the town of Corrèze, followed by a "friendly gathering and moment of remembrance" at 2pm at the Domaine de Sédières, open to "all the people of Corrèze, so dear to her heart," her daughter said.
First Lady Brigitte Macron, who succeeded Bernadette Chirac as head of the Fondation des Hôpitaux (Yellow Coins Foundation), will be present at the funeral, as will former president Nicolas Sarkozy and his wife Carla, alongside numerous former political allies, prominent figures, and friends.
For more than half a century, Chirac was the fixed point in her late husband's restless climb – through parliament, two terms as prime minister, 18 years as mayor of Paris and, in 1995, the presidency. The Chanel suits, dark glasses, nasal voice, and withering judgments became part of her iconic national image. Beneath them was a relentless worker and a cold-eyed political operator who, almost alone among the wives of French presidents, built a base of power that was her own.
She was born Bernadette Thérèse Marie Chodron de Courcel on May 18, 1933, in Paris, into money, lineage, and Catholic tradition.