Bucking convention, French first lady snubs Bush invite

PARIS (AFP) - Cecilia Sarkozy's decision to bow out of a picnic with the president of the United States this weekend is the latest proof of the French first lady's unpredictable, even rebellious take on her new role.

President Nicolas Sarkozy travelled alone to meet George W. Bush and his family at their Atlantic holiday home after Cecilia -- staying just an hour away at a US lakeside resort -- bowed out due to a throat ailment.

The US leader said he was "disappointed" but understanding after Cecilia called Laura Bush at the last minute to excuse herself, but the change of plan sounded a false note in what was billed as a rare personal get-together.

She was photographed later yesterday taking a stroll in town with two friends. Nicolas Sarkozy, meanwhile, was seen wearing earphones and jogging on a lakeside path with a seven-strong entourage.

It was not the first time France's new first lady sent protocol flying to the wind: at her husband's first Group of Eight meeting in June she ducked out of the first ladies' programme midway, saying she had to prepare a birthday party for her daughter.

Last month, the elegant 49-year-old former PR executive grabbed the headlines again when she stepped in as an unlikely last-minute envoy to EU talks on the release of the six foreign medics jailed in Tripoli.

The mission's success took some sting out of the controversy, with Cecilia hailed as a heroine in the medics' home country Bulgaria, but it also left critics complaining about a blurring of roles at the head of state.

Cecilia Sarkozy had warned before her husband's election she did not see herself slipping easily into the traditional role of hostess of the Elysee, and appears determined not to be tied down by etiquette.

The French media have been both puzzled and fascinated by the glamorous new lady of the Elysee: "The Cecilia Enigma" was the front-page headline of Le Nouvel Observateur magazine last week.

Cecilia's staff at the Elysee -- she has her own PR team and diplomatic advisors -- say her role will be more clearly outlined in the autumn. But they stress her top priority remains her family: her 10-year-old son with Sarkozy and two daughters from a previous marriage.

Sarkozy's detractors accuse him of taking diplomatic risks to create a tailor-made role for a demanding wife -- with one opposition deputy suggesting the couple was playing out "marital therapy" on the world stage.

The couple's at-times stormy relationship has often been the stuff of gossip tabloids: the couple split for a few months in 2005, each pursuing separate love affairs. There was also widespread speculation about whether Cecilia would join her husband in the Elysee.

Cecilia was noticeably absent from her husband's side on the campaign trail, and -- to the president's embarrassment -- it emerged she did not turn out to vote in the decisive second round of the election on May 6.

On election night, the couple put a lid on gossip-mongering by appearing side-by-side, and Cecilia dazzled the French public at Sarkozy's inauguration two weeks later -- a picture of glamour in a ivory Prada dress.

But Cecilia's absence from early photos during the couple's US holiday set the Paris gossip mill spinning with rumours of fresh marital trouble. Later photographs showing Cecilia at her husband's side put the chatter to rest.

With her latest departure from convention, Cecilia appears determined to keep the public guessing -- and her husband on his toes.

It was perhaps the French president, in a rare candid moment, who best summed up his situation to a group of reporters on July 14: "At the end of day, my only real worry is Cecilia," he said.