Go to contents

Hollande’s partner reportedly smashed national treasures

Hollande’s partner reportedly smashed national treasures

Posted January. 25, 2014 05:41,   

한국어

Valérie Trierweiler, partner of French President François Hollande, smashed treasures at the Elysee Palace in a fit of rage after learning of Hollande’s alleged affairs with actress Julie Gayet, news reports said.

The French online media Economie Matin reported on Wednesday that Trierweiler shattered artifacts, including a Louis XVI vase, clock, and paintings worth 3 million euros, which were placed at Hollande’s office.

However, a spokesman for Mobilier National, the French culture ministry-affiliated office responsible for presidential furniture at the Elysee Palace, denied the report on Thursday, saying, “It is a complete lie.” According to the daily Le Monde, the news first surfaced when a right-leaning blogger claimed that “I learned it from a ranking official at Mobilier National,” before widely spreading through other bloggers and SNS channels.

This news is not the only episodes surrounding Trierweiler. The first of them has it that after the French weekly Closer broke rumors on Hollande’s affairs on January 10, Trierweiler attempted suicide by overdosing sleeping pills. The weekly Le Nouvel Observateur said, “President Hollande sought to declare separation from Trierweiler, but withdrew the bid due to the partner’s hospitalization,” which her side strongly denied.

Trierweiler, who remained hospitalized for eight days, is now staying at La Lanterne, the luxury presidential home in Versailles, after being discharged from hospital on last Saturday. Attention is focusing on whether Hollande will be accompanied by Trierweiler as the first lady when he visits Washington D.C. on February 11.

Media in and outside France speculates that the president will highly likely declare separation from her. The U.K. daily Telegraph recently reported that President Hollande said the Elysee Palace no longer wants a "first lady." Rumors say that the panel of presidential advisors recommended the troubled leader to remain a “single president” to prevent additional scandals.