Emmanuel Macron breaks silence after wife seemingly pushes his face

Emmanuel Macron has broken his silence following a viral clip that appeared to show an altercation between him and his wife, Brigitte.

The video showed the pair before disembarking a plane after landing in Vietnam. In the video, Brigitte’s hand could be seen shoving his face, before the French president realises that the plane door has opened. The politician then smiles before disembarking with his wife following behind him.

Emmanuel has since spoken out about the clip, saying that the pair were “joking around, as we do quite often”. He drew attention to previous videos that had been misinterpreted, saying he had allegedly “shared a bag of cocaine, tussled with the Turkish president, now that I’m having a domestic dispute with my wife. None of this is true. Everyone needs to calm down.”

The Guardian reports a source saying of the incident that the French president “loves playing jokes like on his wife before official occasions, and she always responds like this. It wasn’t even a slap.”

The pair were visiting the country following a major trade deal between the two nations on subjects including defence and Airbus planes.

Upcoming state visit

Emmanuel and Brigitte are due to visit the United Kingdom in July to carry out a state visit. During their stay, the couple will stay at Windsor Castle in Berkshire where they will attend a state banquet.

© Corbis via Getty Images

In a statement confirming their visit, the Palace said: “The President of the French Republic, His Excellency Emmanuel Macron, accompanied by Mrs Brigitte Macron, has accepted an invitation from His Majesty The King to pay a State Visit to the United Kingdom from Tuesday 8th July to Thursday 10th July 2025. The President and Mrs Macron will stay at Windsor Castle.”

While Buckingham Palace is the default residence for state visits, it’s currently undergoing refurbishments. Macron and his wife will therefore be hosted at the monarch’s historic residence in Berkshire.