After face slap, now Brigitte Macron snubs Emmanuel's hand — awkward royal visit moment caught on camera
Emmanuel Macron
and his wife Brigitte landed on July 8. Rumors got ripe when Macron offered his hand to his better half while deboarding the RAF Northholt, which she ignored.
This moment was caught on camera, and many people thought it looked like Brigitte snubbed Macron. Some online users called it a 'blatant brush-off', while others said maybe she just wanted to keep her balance or focus before meeting the royals, according to the report by People.
This comes just two months after another viral moment in May, when Brigitte appeared to push Macron's face as they got off a plane in Vietnam. That older moment was explained by an official from Élysée Palace, saying they were just 'having a laugh' before starting their Southeast Asia trip, as per the report by Reuters.
ALSO READ:
Melinda Gates refuses to fund daughter's startup, despite $31 billion net worth
The royal welcome and events
Prince William and Kate Middleton, both 43, were waiting at the airport to greet the Macrons. Once on the ground, Macron kissed Kate's hand, which was unusual but not against royal protocol. The Macrons then joined King Charles and Queen Camilla for a welcome ceremony near Windsor Castle, where they'll be staying, as per the reports.
Live Events
Brigitte and Queen Camilla shared a laugh during the event, showing that everyone seemed in good spirits. Later, the French and British couples viewed French-related artwork from the Royal Collection in the Green Drawing Room of the castle, as per the report by People.
ALSO READ:
Apple AI head Ruoming Pang joins Meta as Zuckerberg boosts superintelligence team
What's next on the visit?
This is France's first state visit to the U.K. in 17 years. The trip lasts from July 8 to July 10, with more events planned, including a royal gala.
Before arriving, Macron posted on X saying the U.K. is a 'strategic partner and friend'. He added that both countries will work together on things like security, defence, AI, culture, nuclear energy, and more, according to the report by People.
FAQs
Q1. Did
Brigitte Macron snub
Emmanuel Macron at UK visit?
Brigitte ignored Emmanuel's hand while exiting the plane, sparking online buzz.
Q2. What was the awkward Macron moment in the UK?
Brigitte didn't take Emmanuel's hand, just months after a viral face-push in Vietnam.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Jeffrey Epstein is still causing trouble for Donald Trump
ONE OF DONALD TRUMP'S superpowers is saying something one moment, contradicting it the next and convincing most of the MAGA faithful that he has never changed his position. Other members of his administration do not possess this power, which is why they are struggling to deal with a right-wing furore surrounding the late Jeffrey Epstein . Before joining the government, a number of high-ranking officials claimed that the deep state was withholding explosive information about Epstein, a convicted paedophile, and his links to important people. Now that they are the state, they have had to admit it is all nonsense. On July 7th the Department of Justice (DoJ) said there was no secret information to release. But nothing convinces a conspiracy theorist of a cover-up like saying 'nothing to see here'. The Epstein affair had the hallmarks of a conspiracy theory. He was a rich financier with a Jewish surname and powerful acquaintances, including Bill Clinton, a former president, and Prince Andrew, a British royal. He was also a paedophile whom the state treated leniently. In 2008 he pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution and soliciting a minor for prostitution. He was sentenced to 18 months in prison but served less than 13, during which he was outside the prison walls six days a week to work. Allegations that he brought children to his private island using a jet known to the press as the 'Lolita Express' kept the grim gossip mill turning. The chatter among conspiracy theorists reached a new level when, in 2019, Epstein hanged himself in prison. He had been awaiting a new trial on federal sex-trafficking charges. The conspiracies mainly focused on two things: whether Epstein had actually been murdered and whether he had a 'client list'—a 'Who's Who' of paedophiles at the top of society. Information about both, claimed conspiracists, was being suppressed by the state. Future members of the Trump administration encouraged and even engaged in these speculations. In 2021 J.D. Vance, now the vice-president, implied that the government was protecting Epstein's 'clients'. Kash Patel, now head of the FBI, told Congress in 2023 to 'put on your big-boy pants' and release the list. Mr Trump himself implied that Mr Clinton was tangled up in the Epstein affair. Some of this talk continued even after Mr Trump was elected for the second time. In February Pam Bondi, the attorney-general, claimed to have Epstein's client list 'sitting on my desk right now'. She made a big show of inviting MAGA social-media influencers to the White House to receive 'The Epstein Files: Phase 1'. Little in the documents was new. The administration and the influencers were roundly mocked by other conspiracy theorists. Ms Bondi blamed the FBI for withholding documents. She continued to advertise grand revelations. In May she spoke of a previously unheard of stash of 'tens of thousands of videos of Epstein with children or child porn'. As a result, when the DoJ announced that, actually, there was no 'client list' and that Mr Epstein killed himself, much of the internet's ire was directed at Ms Bondi. A number of faithful Trump supporters have called for her to be fired, including Laura Loomer, a far-right media personality with the president's ear. And the government's denials have only fuelled more Epstein conspiracy theories. A few people—including Elon Musk, the president's former adviser and 'first buddy'—have claimed that the government is not releasing more documents on Epstein because Mr Trump's name is in them. Mr Trump's ties to Epstein are well known: they first met in the 1980s and have been neighbours, friends and rivals. The president's superpower has come in handy amid the saga. In 2002 Mr Trump thought Epstein was a 'terrific guy'; in 2019, after Epstein was arrested, the president said he 'was not a fan'. Mr Trump might still worry that, if attention is drawn to his relationship with Epstein, it will damage his reputation with his base. The president seems eager to put it all in the past. 'Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein?' he asked on July 8th, in response to a reporter's question directed at Ms Bondi. 'Are people still talking about this guy, this creep? That is unbelievable.' Perhaps if members of his own administration had not already spread so much nonsense about Epstein, the din wouldn't be so loud.
Hindustan Times
31 minutes ago
- Hindustan Times
Where do teachers' freedom on how to teach stop?
The authorities can decide what to teach. But the decision of how to teach is the sole responsibility of the teacher. This is one of the unshakable beliefs of teachers. History records the Orientalists' protest against the introduction of the Anglican code of knowledge into higher education during British rule. Similarly, there have been protests for teaching in the vernacular. Orientalists in India themselves were opposed to the inclusion of the Anglican code of knowledge, but there was almost universal agreement among the freedom struggle leaders to use the vernacular. What subjects should be included in the curriculum is still a matter of contention and controversy. Academic freedom is often debated over what to teach. But we still believe that how to teach is beyond debate and within the complete freedom of teachers. Teacher (Hindustan Times (PIC FOR REPRESENTATION)) During colonial rule, the academic freedom of university and college teachers in India was severely restricted. As outlined in policies such as Lord Macaulay's Educational Minutes (1835), there were curricula aimed at promoting European literature and science. There was little room for innovative or critical pedagogical approaches in the educational system for producing clerks and colonial subjects with a disdain for native their literature. The opening of Sanskrit colleges in Calcutta (1824), Agra (1860), and Madras (1906) may be exceptional cases, a kind of cherry-picking in the history of academic freedom of what to teach during colonial India. However, the core questions of academic freedom of how to teach were never raised in these institutions either. There is no evidence that the lack of freedom for teachers to foster critical thinking within the classroom or to challenge colonial ideologies has led to any debate. But this doesn't mean that there are no victims of how to teach in India. A careful examination would help us to locate a few examples. The colonial government enacted laws such as the Vernacular Press Act of 1878 and Section 124A (relating to sedition) of the Indian Penal Code which restricted free expression. This has significantly affected not only the media but also academic discourse. Expressing views critical of British rule led to situations where punitive measures were invoked. These laws led to the suppression of dissenting voices within educational institutions and acted as a fetter on academic freedom. Not only colonial interests but also the protests of narrow-minded natives led to the restriction of academic freedom. Under the shadow of the existing colonial laws, strong actions were taken against the teachers as well. Henri Louis Vivian Derozio (1809–1831), assistant headmaster of the Hindu College in Calcutta, encouraged his students to think critically and question the content of textbooks and established traditions of the system. His progressive ideas and promotion of free thought led to his expulsion from the college in April 1831 under pressure from conservative sections of society who saw him as a threat to orthodox beliefs, as reported by Joseph Black and colleagues, in their seminal work 'The Broadview Anthology of British Literature Volume 1: The Medieval Period'. Similarly, the experience of James Long (1814–1887) an Irish missionary and teacher who translated Dinabandhu Mitra's Bengali play 'Neel Darpan', into English, which depicts the exploitation of Indian peasants by British indigo planters. Dinabandhu Mitra was Long's student at CMS School, Amherst Street, Kolkata. In 1861, after the play became popular, he was fined and sentenced to one month in prison for attempting to libel the British government as recorded by Geoffrey A. Odie (1999) in his book Missionaries, Rebellion and Proto-Nationalism: James Long of Bengal 1814–87. Educator and activist Ishwardatt Medharti was an Indian freedom fighter who used his teaching as a means of freedom struggle. A teacher of a Kanpur-based school Sri Dayananda Bharatiya Vidyalaya in 1929, he was sentenced to six months imprisonment by the colonial government because of his participation in the Bardoli satyagraha. After his release, Maren Belwinkel-Schemp in his book Ishvardatt Medharthi: Life & Message (2004) notes that he continued his campaigns of civil disobedience and served three years in prison after participating in the Uppu Satyagraha in 1930. Thousands of such teachers, both documented and undocumented, may have been subjected to severe disciplinary measures during colonial times for exercising their academic freedom of how to teach. In India, there appears to be an academic slumber around the broader understanding of academic freedom, one that extends beyond the question of what to teach to include how to teach. A critical reading of the educational policy documents starting from the NPE 1968 to the NEP (2020) shows that academic freedom has been defined as the right of teachers against unfair disciplinary measures, freedom of speech and freedom to choose research topics of choice. Policy documents envisioned that authorities (NCERT/ Universities) held the mandate to decide what to teach. Even, how to teach is rarely acknowledged as part of their academic freedom, let alone encouraged. We have a situation where the idea of academic freedom of teachers is mistaken for the idea of academic freedom of authorities. Going a step further, the National Education Policy 2020 advocates that teachers should be given freedom in how to teach as well as what to teach. But NEP 2020, which used the idea of freedom to choose the teaching method of the teachers in the most dominant way, reduces academic freedom to the definition of autonomy, which entangles academic freedom into the snare of culpability of their decisions. Academic freedom must be understood as the teacher's right to shape both the content and method of teaching through their knowledge and creativity, free from external constraints. Without this, pedagogical creativity becomes a caged parrot confined by institutional frameworks and authority-driven agendas. We need to reconceptualise the idea of academic freedom in India, not merely as the freedom of authorities, but also as the teacher's freedom to decide what and how to teach. Policy documents and the media have a critical role and responsibility in this process. This article is authored by Amruth G Kumar, professor, School of Education, Central University of Kerala, Kasargode.
Time of India
40 minutes ago
- Time of India
Why France's first lady Brigitte Macron looked so subdued at Macron's visit — the real reason is heartbreaking
Brigitte Macron 's reserved demeanor during the French state visit to Britain perplexed many observers. Her quiet demeanor, cool body language, and emotional distance fueled speculation. However, the reason for her behavior is far more personal and deeply heartbreaking. Why did Brigitte Macron seem distant during the visit? During her state visit to Britain, French First Lady Brigitte Macron has been grieving the loss of her beloved sister. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Cardiologist Reveals: The Simple Morning Habit for a Flatter Belly After 50! Lulutox Undo Brigitte Macron appeared emotionally withdrawn during her visit to the United Kingdom, following the tragic death of her sister, Anne-Marie Trogneux . ALSO READ: Desperate for a Nobel Peace Prize? Donald Trump's dream faces these brutal committee rules Live Events Despite being in mourning, she chose to accompany her husband, President Emmanuel Macron , on the official trip. The world leader extended a helping hand to Brigitte, 72, as they descended the stairs following their plane's landing, but she seemed to reject the gesture in favor of holding onto the railing, as per a report by the Mirror. Her subdued presence was a quiet display of strength during a period of intense personal grief. What happened to her sister Anne-Marie? Anne-Marie Trogneux, Ms. Macron's sister, passed away last week, but she wouldn't allow her husband to go to London by himself. She was his high school drama teacher, and the two have been married for eighteen years. Last Tuesday, her sister Anne-Marie passed away in Amiens, northern France, where the family was originally from. She is the second sibling that Ms. Macron has lost since Maryvonne Trogneux, who was only 27, died in a car accident. How has the loss affected the Macron couple publicly? "A source close to the couple stated that this is the primary reason why Ms. Macron has been appearing so reserved and uneasy around her husband. The loss has had a significant impact on Madame Macron, who loved her sister," a source told MailOnline. "But she agreed that it was her duty to be in the United Kingdom, despite it coinciding with a period of mourning." President Macron formally bid the King and Queen farewell outside Windsor Castle during their visit, blowing them a kiss. Reciting the King's new phrase "Entente Amicale" in celebration, the President and his wife thanked the Royal family for their welcome to Windsor Castle as they departed, as per a report. FAQs Why did Brigitte Macron appear withdrawn during the state visit? She is deeply saddened by the recent death of her sister, Anne-Marie Trogneux. Did she still decide to travel with President Macron? Yes, despite her grief, she insisted on joining him in the UK, believing it was her duty to be by his side.
