Whilst he was very close to his late grandmother, Emmanuel Macron is said to be distant from both his parents, who are separated, reportedly speaking to them three or four times a year. His father said that the last time his son paid a visit was in 2019.

It has been widely reported that they sent their son to Paris to finish his studies because they disapproved of his relationship with Brigitte, his drama teacher at the time and now wife, whom he met aged 16. She is 25 years his senior.

However, Jean-Michel Macron laid such claims to rest, calling them “fairy stories”, insisting that the plan had always been for him to go to the Lycee Henri IV, France’s top secondary school.

“Simply, it was perhaps a little early. But, well, what followed has shown that it was something solid,” he said of France’s first couple, who have been an item for 28 years.