Charles Michelle’s partner confirmed the marriage by inviting other couples to an art exhibition
For weeks, European Council President Charles Michel has refused to say whether he and his longtime partner have married. The long-awaited news was finally confirmed. Even when asked directly during his visit to New York about the UN General Assembly’s high-level debates last month, Michelle was reluctant to reveal his marital status, saying it was a personal matter. He didn’t wear a wedding ring either.
But 40-year-old Amelie Derbodrengien Michel has now answered the question –
making your own
official debut,
by inviting other halves of European Council leaders to a “partnership event” during this week’s summit, Politico reports.
The guests were invited to take part in Thursday’s event, which was addressed to the President or Prime Minister of each of the countries represented at the European Council, during which the main topics were COVID-19, digital transformation, energy prices, migration and external relations. . In the invitation sent by an employee of the protocol service of the council, she is presented as “Mrs. Amelie Derbodrengien Michel”.
The leaders’ partners were offered a guided tour of an exhibition by David Hockney at the Bozar Center for the Fine Arts, followed by dinner at the Michelin-starred restaurant of the same name in central Brussels.
Charles and Amelie Michelle, who have two daughters, Jeanne and Lucy, born in 2016 and 2019, were due to get married last year at a party in France, but
were forced to
postpone the wedding
due to restrictions
because of COVID
Michelle, a former Belgian prime minister, also has a teenage son from his previous relationship.
His spokesman confirmed that they married Amelie “discreetly” in the summer and organized a small celebration for family and close friends, but added that the president of the European Council did not want to reveal more details.
Events for partners or spouses are not usually held in connection with the regular summits of the European Council in Brussels, which often include marathon working sessions for heads of state and government. Sometimes they last all night. But such social events are sometimes a feature of informal European Council summits, which take place outside the EU capital and are often organized during other international gatherings such as the G7 or G20.
The wife of 45-year-old Charles Michel is an employee of the Belgian government and currently works in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Belgian media describe her as “discreet” and stress that she is reluctant to be public, as her appearances on camera during her husband’s term as prime minister can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The moment of 2015, when the then US President Barak, is often recalled
Obama hints at
her pregnancy on
photo session time,
saying, “I think
that in the picture
there are five of us ”
Amelie Derbodrengien doesn’t even like to be called “first lady” and with the unconditional support of her husband, she has always tried to keep their privacy. She never agreed to an interview.
She was born in the Belgian city of Tournai, near the French border, on December 21, 1980. She studied political science at the University of Sussex in Britain and the Free University of Brussels. She has worked for the State Agency for the Implementation and Coordination of Belgian Foreign Development Policy, participating in several missions in Cambodia and Brazil. He speaks Portuguese, English, Dutch and French. He also works in the Ministry of Development Policy, where in 2007 he met with the then newly appointed Minister Michel.
Amelie accompanied the head of the European Council to this year’s G-7 meeting in Falmouth, England. The husband of the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen – Heiko, also attended the G-7, which
make it possible
a rare encounter for both
first couples in the EU
On June 11, the leaders were welcomed by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his wife Carrie. Arriving at the beach, Amelie Derbodrengien caught the eye with an unusual outfit, which consisted of plaid pants and a blouse in gold with a deep neckline. Complementing her look was a black belt with a buckle and olive green toeless shoes. Ms. Michelle’s clothing was declared fashionable, businesslike and stylish. In Brussels, von der Leyen was sleeping in a small corner of his office on the 13th floor of the European Commission’s headquarters, and it was unclear whether Heiko von der Leyen would visit Brussels for the exhibition and dinner to repeat the first-couple meeting.
This week’s European Council is likely to be the last to be attended by outgoing German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and farewells are expected. Merkel’s husband, Joachim Sauer, occasionally joins her on international trips, but usually not in Brussels.
One diplomat suggested that the addition of a partner event reflected
Amelie’s ambition
Michelle to raise
their positions
But the President of the European Council has always shown very little of his personal life, even if he is a liberal by party affiliation.
– .
