She helped elect a man who humiliated her: Bernadette Chirac, former first lady of France, dies at 93

Bernadette Chirac, the former first lady of France and widow of President Jacques Chirac, has died at the age of 93. She passed away peacefully on Friday, June 6, 2026, surrounded by her family, as confirmed by her daughter Claude Chirac to the French press agency.

Known as a "political animal," Chirac possessed not only wealth and aristocratic connections but also a political instinct that sometimes surpassed her husband's. Her life was marked by a deeply asymmetrical power dynamic within her marriage. Even when she was meant to be in the spotlight, Jacques Chirac often commanded attention, as illustrated by a widely circulated anecdote from a ceramic exhibition opening in Corrèze.

During the event, while Bernadette was scheduled to give the opening speech, Jacques engaged in a flirtatious conversation with a left-wing politician, ignoring Bernadette. Cameras captured the moment, leading to tabloid headlines about Bernadette catching her husband flirting. This incident highlighted Chirac's resilience in a marriage defined by her husband's numerous affairs, suggesting she learned to survive through "wordless contempt and a devastating look."

Born Bernadette Chodron de Courcel in Paris in 1933 into a noble family, her life was shaped by tradition. Her father, an officer, disappeared into German captivity during World War II when she was six, forcing her mother to flee with her children. Her parents reportedly opposed her marriage to Jacques Chirac.

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peacefully, surrounded by her family