French president Emmanuel Macron is due in London for a state visit, with his wife Brigitte Macron.
President Macron’s trip is the first state visit by a French president since 2008, and is set to be dominated by talks over how to stop small boats crossing the Channel.
Sir Keir Starmer is set to press the leader of France for more help stopping the crossings, with Mr Macron also set to be hosted by the King during his three-day state visit.
It has also been reported that Starmer is hoping to use the visit to the UK as an opportunity to secure an agreement on his “one in one out” migration deal.
It would mean, if agreed, that Britain would be able to return migrants arriving in small boats to France, in exchange for accepting asylum seekers with a family connection in the UK.
Also expected to be on the agenda will be defence, security and economic growth, No 10 has indicated.
A No 10 spokesman added: “That relationship is key to a number of issues, and we expect to make good progress on a wide range of priorities, including migration, growth, defence and security, which will deliver on the interests of both the British and the French public.”
Macron’s wife, Brigitte, will be alongside him.
But who is Brigitte and why is their marriage controversial? Here is all we know:
Who is Brigitte Macron?
Brigitte Marie-Claude Macron is a former school teacher and the wife of the French President, Emmanuel Macron.
The couple, both from Amiens in northern France, have been married since 2007. They live together at Élysée Palace, the official presidential residence.
Brigitte has an MA degree and a teaching qualification in French language and literature. She worked in Paris and Strasbourg, before returning to Amiens in 1991.
She began teaching at Lycée Saint-Louis de Gonzague, a prestigious private school in Paris, in 2007, before retiring in 2015.
Brigitte is chair of the LIVE association, which supports people over 25 who are not in employment or education, and she is also the chair of the Hospitals of Paris-Hospitals of France Foundation.
Her family are the five-generation owners of Chocolaterie Trogneux, now known as Jean Trogneux, a chocolatiers based in Amiens.
How old is Brigitte Macron?
Brigitte Macron was born on April 13, 1953, making her 70 years old. Her husband, Emmanuel Macron, is 44 years old, as he was born on December 21, 1977.
There is a 24 year age gap between Brigitte and Emmanuel Macron.
Did Macron marry his teacher?
Macron met his future wife when he was just 15 years old, as a student at La Providence High School, where Brigitte Trogneux, then 39, worked as a teacher.
Although Macron was not in her class, they met while working on a school play together.
Macron’s parents allegedly attempted to separate the couple by sending him to Paris to finish his schooling, however they reunited once Macron had graduated.
Does Emmanuel Macron have children?
Emmanuel has three step-children through his marriage to Brigitte, though they do not have children together.
Brigitte was once married to André-Louis Auzièr, with whom she shares three children: Sébastien Auzière (born 1975), who is older than Emmanuel, Laurence Auzière-Jourdan (born 1977), and Tiphaine Auzière (born 1984). Laurence was a classmate of her now-stepfather, Emmanuel.
