BONUS! Unlock the full article to read exclusive content on the life and career of Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing as France’s former first lady. You won’t want to miss the rare insights and personal reflections she shares with Lesoir Magazine fifty years after her husband, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, became the third president of the Fifth Republic on May 19, 1974.
Her words are a treasure trove, as Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing rarely grants interviews. Even as first lady from 1974 to 1981, she shied away from the limelight, preferring instead to focus on embodying the grace and elegance of France with unparalleled distinction. Following in the footsteps of Yvonne de Gaulle and Claude Pompidou, she symbolized a unique vision of France and how one can serve the country with dignity. Ahead of her time, she set up an office at the Élysée Palace to work and plan her visits across the country to connect with the French people. She paved the way for her successors.
Her code of conduct seems to have been inspired by the famous ‘Never explain, never complain’ motto beloved by Queen Elizabeth II. « She is fearless, and that is a great strength of character…, » Valéry Giscard d’Estaing remarked about his wife in a 2015 interview with Frédéric Mitterrand. The life of a woman who fears nothing…
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