France’s First Lady Brigitte Macron 'devastated' by court ruling clearing online critics

French First Lady Brigitte Macron is “devastated” after a Paris appeals court overturned a defamation verdict against two women who had spread conspiracy theories and personal attacks against her, the Daily Mail reported on Thursday.

According to the British outlet, sources close to Macron said she was “absolutely stunned” by last week’s ruling, which acquitted Amandine Roy, 53, and Natacha Rey, 49 — both vocal critics of the president’s wife.

The case stemmed from a 2021 video in which the women made false claims about Macron’s gender identity and accused her of inappropriate conduct during her early relationship with Emmanuel Macron, who was a teenager when they first met.

While the court recognized one defamatory element — the accusation of “corruption of a minor” — it ultimately ruled that most comments did not meet the legal threshold for defamation, and cleared the women of criminal liability.

Brigitte Macron had hoped the case would end years of online harassment, but the verdict instead sparked a new wave of abuse, according to the report.