This makes a mockery of the institution of marriage, when a girlfriend has the same rights as a legally acknowledged wife. Good luck to France, you have a "First Girlfriend" with 2 failed marriages and 3 children - just the stability France needs right now.
France's unwed first lady makes summit debut
WASHINGTON — A demure and elegant Valerie Trierweiler took her first steps on the world stage as France's new -- unwed -- first lady Saturday, joining Michelle Obama and G8 summit wives on a White House tour.
Trierweiler, the partner of new French President Francois Hollande, wore a black, knee length wrap dress, with black heels and carried a handbag, as she and other leaders' wives viewed the East Room of the White House.
The first ladies then tucked into an intimate lunch of Maryland Rockfish with local asparagus, grapefruit, Virginia berries, and vegetables from the White House Garden, followed by tangerine sorbet with Virginia strawberries.
Other G8 spouses at the White House as the summit went ahead at the presidential retreat at Camp David, Maryland, included Laureen Harper of Canada, Hitomi Noda of Japan, and Elsa Antonioli Monti of Italy.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel's husband, professor Joachim Sauer, did not take part in the tour or lunch.
Trierweiler, who has been Hollande's partner since 2007, on Friday took part in a reception at the French embassy in Paris.
She is also expected to link up again with the spouses of world leaders in Chicago on Sunday, at a NATO summit also hosted by President Barack Obama.
She will join Mrs Obama and fellow spouses on a visit to the south-side Gary Comer Youth Center followed by a private dinner at the Art Institute of Chicago. On Monday, Trierweiler is scheduled to visit a French international school in Chicago.
US officials have said that there is no established protocol rule for how unmarried partners of world leaders should be treated.
So Trierweiler was invited to participate in all spousal programs at both the G8 and in Chicago.
The 47-year-old journalist -- twice divorced and the mother of three children, has caused a stir in the US media.
But outlets have been puzzled about how to describe the female half of the first unmarried occupants of the Elysees Palace, with CNN favoring "girlfriend" and others opting for "spouse," "partner" or "companion."
