Mitterrand's confidential daughter grants an interview session
In 1981, François Mitterrand, a married man and father, ascended to the presidency of France. For a substantial period, a secret was kept hidden: He had a child with a significantly younger mistress. This information wasn't disclosed until the closing stages of his 14-year tenure. Mitterrand's illegitimate daughter then shared her experiences.
During her childhood, Mazarine Mitterrand Pingeot, the daughter in question, grappled with "fear and loneliness." In an interview, she explained, "It's like many children experience—fear, loneliness, the need to keep secrets hidden." However, her situation was more intricate due to her father's high-profile status.
Her book describes her life in the 300-square-meter apartment on the Seine, which she shared with her mother between the ages of nine and sixteen. Mitterrand maintained a secret life with Anne Pingeot, who was 27 years his junior, for decades. There were no unexpected visitors or festivities, she recalls. "It was a life of hiding; I felt confined," she admitted. "I wasn't allowed to make choices, yet I didn't ask for them either."
Her parents didn't enforce any restrictions, as she had grown accustomed to the situation. "I got along well with the gendarmes; I spent a lot of time with them," she shared. Her relationship with the outside world was always restricted, being "filtered" by her father's preferences. Mitterrand passed away in January 1996, having led the Élysée from 1981 to 1995 – just like his second family, he had also concealed his health issues for a prolonged period.
He was 46, she was 19
At Mitterrand's funeral, both his wife Danielle, as well as Anne Pingeot and her daughter, bid their final farewells at his coffin. It wasn't until 1994 that the married head of state's relationship with Anne Pingeot became public knowledge, thanks to a revealing article published in the gossip magazine "Paris Match." Many journalists were said to have been aware of the affair for years prior.
Anne Pingeot published a collection of more than 1200 love letters Mitterrand had penned to her in 2016. When Mitterrand, at the age of 46 and a father of two, first crossed paths with the 19-year-old Pingeot at the seaside resort of Hossegor, he wrote in his final letter to her, "You were the joy of my life."
Mitterrand's wife and children, along with Anne Pingeot and Mazarine, formed a complex family dynamics. Despite the secrecy, Mazarine felt a sense of closeness with the gendarmes due to her restricted interactions with the outside world.
Mitterrand's relationship with Anne began when he was 46 and she was 19, a significant age gap that would shape their secret life together for decades.
