A Young-Old Sex Affair in France

Much was made of the presence, at François Mitterrand’s funeral, in 1996, of both his wife, Danielle, and his longtime mistress, Anne Pingeot. It turns out that another mistress of the former French president was graveside that day as well. This according to a book just published by the Le Monde journalist Solenn de Royer with the cooperation of the other other woman, identified only as “Claire” (Mitterand’s nickname for her), who was 50 years younger than the politician.

“The affair began as something of a student lark,” reported The Times of London. “[Claire] arrived aged 18 in Paris in 1984 to study law. Mitterrand, elected president three years earlier to the jubilation of the left, was her hero. Claire set herself the challenge of meeting him, waiting like a groupie—or maybe stalker—near the entrance to the flat in the Latin Quarter where Mitterrand lived part of his time, and getting close to him whenever he appeared in public—once even hitchhiking 300 miles to Strasbourg.” Eventually, she did meet him, and the affair began.