Bernadette Chirac, the formidable former first lady of France who spent 12 years at the Élysée Palace beside President Jacques Chirac while forging her own political identity and transforming a children’s hospital charity into a national institution, has died aged 93.
French President Emmanuel Macron confirmed her death on Saturday, saying he and his wife Brigitte had learned with “great sadness” of the passing of a woman who had helped shape French public life and improved the lives of millions of patients through her charitable work.
