Emmanuel Macron and Wife Brigitte Have Another Awkward Airplane Moment Ahead of Royal Visit

The French president and his wife previously went viral for what appeared to be a confrontational moment back in May

Following their viral moment back in May, French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, had another awkward airplane exchange on Tuesday, July 8, ahead of their official state visit with the British royal family.

As the Macrons deplaned at RAF Northolt where Prince William and Kate Middleton waited to welcome them the French president, 47, reached up to extend his hand to his wife to help her down the stairs. Brigitte, however, chose to hold on to the rail until she reached the ground, seemingly snubbing her husband’s gesture.

Some interpreted the moment as a blatant brush-off; however, others pointed out that Brigitte, 72, could simply have been focused on keeping her balance on the airplane steps or preparing herself to greet the Prince and Princess of Wales.

The couple were all smiles as they greeted William and Kate, both 43, with Emmanuel bestowing a royally unusual but not protocol-breaking kiss to Kate’s hand.

It was certainly a less scandalous moment than when the Macrons went viral in May after Brigitte appeared to push Emmanuel’s face as they prepared to deboard a plane in Hanoi, Vietnam, at the start of a Southeast Asia tour.

Later, an official at the Élysée Palace downplayed the incident, saying, “It was a moment when the president and his wife were relaxing one last time before the start of the trip by having a laugh,” per Reuters.

The Macrons appeared to be in good spirits for the rest of their first day in the U.K. Brigitte even shared a laugh with Queen Camilla as she and King Charles welcomed them for the first state visit made by France in 17 years. 

The two power couples posed together on the Royal Dais at Datchet Road near Windsor Castle, where the president and his wife will be staying during their visit.

Later, the two couples took in an exhibition of art from the Royal Collection with a special connection to France in the castle’s Green Drawing Room.

The French state visit will last from July 8 through Thursday, July 10, with plenty of other official events planned, including a royal gala.

Macron previewed the event in a post to X, in both English and French, ahead of the trip.

“The United Kingdom is a strategic partner, an ally, a friend. Our bond is longstanding, forged by History and strengthened by trust,” he wrote.

“Together, we will address the major challenges of our time: security, defence, nuclear energy, space, innovation, artificial intelligence, migration, and culture. These are all areas in which we seek to act together and deepen our cooperation in a concrete, effective, and lasting way,” Macron added.