Namely, the French celebrity magazine Paris Match published this information as an exclusive, with a cover photo of the couple taken during their holiday in Corsica. "The idyll no one expected," read the magazine's cover. Jordan De Bardella De Bourbon-Sardine Des Deux Céciles. pic.twitter.com/GUFjdN1cVG
However, the 30-year-old president of the Rassemblement National (RN) party skillfully avoided questions in interviews, stating that his private life is his last "space of freedom." The Paris Match story suggests that a decision has been made to publicly announce the relationship.
Bardella will run for French president next year if a court rules in July that the party's historic leader, Marine Le Pen, is ineligible due to a conviction for misusing European Union parliamentary funds. Polls show that any RN candidate would have a good chance of winning.
Media analysts said on Thursday that it is important for Bardella to enter the presidential campaign with clarity about his private life and who might accompany him to the Élysée Palace as first lady. They also suggested that the party may want to quell any potential resentment among poorer voters earlier over their leader's relationship with a wealthy aristocrat.
Maria Carolina, who is also the Duchess of Calabria and Palermo, is the 22-year-old daughter of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, one of two candidates to lead the royal House of the Two Sicilies, which ruled Sicily and southern Italy in the 19th century. The heirs lost the throne when Italy was unified. Maria Carolina, whose title holds no legal weight in Italy, is a distant descendant of French King Louis XIV.
According to her official website, she grew up in Rome, Monte Carlo, and Paris and is now actively involved in cultural, social, and humanitarian initiatives that reflect her family's heritage and values. She also participates in creative and philanthropic projects alongside her sister, Princess Maria Chiara. She speaks six languages, has over 350,000 followers on social media, and is deeply interested in the world of fashion.