Valéry Giscard d'Estaing.

In 1926, Valéry Giscard d’Estaing was born in Koblenz, Germany to May Bardoux and Edmond Giscard d’Estaing. His maternal grandfather was senator Jacques Bardoux and his great-grandfather was minister Agénor Bardoux. He attended Lycée Janson-de-Sailly, Lycée Louis-le-Grand, and then entered the École polytechnique. Later he studied at the École nationale d’administration ENA, the traditional training ground for French senior civil servants and politicians.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing began his political career as French Minister of Economy and Finance on 18 January 1962, a post he held twice 1962–1966 and 1969–1974. In the 1974 presidential election, he defeated Socialist candidate François Mitterrand with 50.8% of the vote, becoming President of France on 27 May 1974. During his seven-year term, he championed European integration and modernized French society. He lost his re-election bid in 1981 to Mitterrand, receiving 48.2% of the vote. After his presidency, he served as a member of the European Parliament from 1989 to 1993, chairing the Liberal and Democratic Reformist Group. He also served as President of the Regional Council of Auvergne from 1986 to 2004 and as a member of the Constitutional Council. In 2009, he published his second romantic novel, The Princess and The President, which sparked speculation about a possible liaison with Princess Diana, though he denied any such relationship.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing married Anne-Aymone Giscard d’Estaing, and they had four children: Valérie-Anne, Henri, Louis, and Jacinthe. His private life attracted considerable rumor; his family did not reside in the Élysée Palace during his presidency, and The Independent reported on his alleged affairs. In 1974, Le Monde noted that he would leave a sealed letter detailing his whereabouts in case of emergency. In May 2020, he was accused of groping a German journalist during a 2018 interview, an accusation he denied. He was the uncle of artist Aurore Giscard d’Estaing, who was formerly married to actor Timothy Hutton.

Valéry Giscard d’Estaing is the longest-lived French president in history, dying at age 94 years and 304 days. He was a strong advocate of the European Union and received the Charlemagne Prize in 2003 for his contributions to European integration. A 2014 poll found that 64% of the French considered him a good president. He served as a member of the Académie Française from 2003 until his death. He is most remembered for modernizing the French presidency, championing European unity, and for being the first French president to come from a centrist party after de Gaulle’s departure.