Jordan Bardella, president of the Rassemblement national, was photographed leaving Le Figaro's 200th anniversary event with Maria Carolina de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles, daughter of a French heir to a wealthy Italian royal family. This sighting, at a glamorous evening in Paris's Grand-Palais on January 13, clashes with his self-portrayal as the voice of an overlooked France scorned by elites. The episode raises questions about the consistency of his political branding.
On January 13, at Paris's Grand-Palais, Le Figaro marked its 200th anniversary with a lavish evening attended by business leaders, cultural and intellectual figures, and former French presidents including Emmanuel Macron, Nicolas Sarkozy, and François Hollande. Among the guests, Jordan Bardella, head of the Rassemblement national (RN), drew notice as he exited the event alongside Maria Carolina de Bourbon des Deux-Siciles, an heiress to an Italian royal family with a fortune in the hundreds of millions of euros.
Bardella often positions himself as the advocate for 'a forgotten people' and the 'authentic spokesperson for a France despised by elites.' Yet, his association with this international jet-set figure, amid ongoing farmers' protests in Paris, has prompted questions. Displaying such proximity under camera flashes risks blurring his image with his core supporters.
The matter even headlined the website of the Italian daily La Repubblica on Friday, highlighting the surprising nature of this pairing. Though Bardella has not publicly addressed the incident, it underscores the challenges of balancing populist rhetoric with elite social circles in French politics.
