Two French women who falsely claimed that the country's First Lady, Brigitte Macron, was transgender have been found guilty of slander. In December 2021, Natacha Rey and Amandine Roy broadcast unsubstantiated rumours online that Brigitte had never existed,

A French court has ordered Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey to pay Macron €8,000 (about $8,864) over claims they made in 2021 that falsely asserted the first lady is actually her brother.

In Paris on Thursday, two women were found guilty of libel for spreading a false rumor that French First Lady Brigitte Macron was born a man and is living as a transgender woman. The pair will pay €13,500 (about $15,000) in fines and damages.

A Paris court sentenced Roy and Rey on September 12 to pay a total of €8,000 in damages to the French president’s wife, and €5,000 to Trogneux.

Amandine Roy and Natacha Rey — to pay First Lady Brigitte Macron €8,000 (Rs 7.45 lakh) in damages, after airing a conspiracy that the 71-year-old was a man

A court on Thursday ordered two women to pay 8,000 euros in damages to French First Lady Brigitte Macron after making false claims she was transgender, sparking online rumour-mongering by conspiracy theorists and the far right.

French First Lady Brigitte Macron has received nearly R160 000 in damages after two women falsely claimed she's a transgender man named Jean-Michel Trogneux.