Macron's fragrance overpowering aides in Elysée Palace

Yahoo

04-04-2025

Emmanuel Macron wears so much cologne that aides 'scent' his presence before he enters the room, according to a new book on life at the Elysée Palace.
In what is seen as a deliberate 'attribute of power,' Mr Macron sprays on 'industrial amounts' of Dior Eau Savage, according to a new book.
Extracts from The Tragedy of the Elysée, by Le Parisien journalist Olivier Beaumont, claim Mr Macron freshens up with the popular cologne 'at all hours of the day'.
The 100ml bottles of the eau de parfum retail at £104 and Mr Macron always has 'a bottle always to hand, particularly in one of the drawers of his desk'.The book claims: 'Less-accustomed visitors may find themselves overcome by the floral and musky scent, as refined as it is powerful. It is a sign of one thing: that the president is in the building.'
'Just as Louis XIV made his perfumes an attribute of power when he paraded through the galleries of Versailles, Emmanuel Macron uses his as an element of his authority at the Elysée,' it goes on.Sauvage is the best-selling fragrance in the world and is inextricably linked to Johnny Depp, who has been the face of its advertising since 2015.
Mr Macron is known to like to stage manage his virility by wearing open-necked shirts and has released black and white photos of himself boxing.
'When Emmanuel Macron enters the room, you can feel it (…),' the book cites one of his former aides as saying, explaining that as a way of asserting his power, 'almost of marking his territory'.The effect is immediate. 'It's not subtle, but it's fast. It means: watch out, here I come!' says a former aide.'So much so that several staff members ended up joking about an expression they heard from one wing to the other: 'It smells like the president.'It goes on: 'You only have to be in the Vestibule d'honneur to know whether he has been there recently or not,' admits Bruno Roger-Petit,' a top Macron aide.Dior is part of Bernard Arnault's LVMH empire. He is France and Europe's richest person and is seen as close to president Macron.
Mr Macron's wife, Brigitte, wears Louis Vuitton, also an Arnault brand. The book notes: 'Even after 20 years of living together, Brigitte is still surprised by this and lets out a loud 'ohhh' when asked about her husband's smell.''This does not prevent her, when he sometimes flies abroad for a few days, from allowing herself a little coquetry: spraying herself lightly with her husband's perfume... to have the feeling that her man is not very far away,' the book claims.In another extract, it transpires the French president also insists that aides keep a box of dark glasses 'each uglier than the last' to be given to guests he quizzes in the Elysée garden when the sun is out in case they forget their own.He has a case 'containing about 20 pairs of second-hand glasses, of all shapes, not really fashionable, some with crooked arms, others with red rims, 'even a little ridiculous', from which you have to choose in order to be allowed to stay.'
It cites one minister as saying he believes it's part of Mr Macron's little game.'Clearly, it's not meant to make us look good. I even wonder if, deep down, he doesn't get a kick out of seeing us with these things. We look so stupid.'.
However, extremely effective: 'Once you've borrowed one of these pairs, you don't want to forget to bring your own.'
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