Has Carla Bruni turned shy? French First Lady's awkward moment as she leans in to kiss Barack Obama... then changes her mind

By Mail Foreign Service
Last updated at 1:45 AM on 04th April 2009

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Over the last few days Barack Obama has charmed the entire world.

And today it appeared his charisma overwhelmed the French First Lady.

It is usual in France to greet one another with a kiss - but the best Mr Obama could get out of a suddenly flustered Carla Bruni was a handshake.

We've all been there: Carla Bruni leans in to greet Barack Obama with a kiss today - but quickly backpedals

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The French First Lady appeared unsure of how to greet the U.S. President in footage of the event

Ms Bruni appeared to lean in to kiss the president's cheek as she greeted him on his arrival in Strasbourg for a Nato summit today.

But when Mr Obama did not seem to reciprocate, she hesitated then quickly backtracked, settling for the handshake and a smile instead.

But perhaps the French First Lady was reading the President better than onlookers knew. She may have instinctively understood that he was unsure about the complicated customs regarding the 'bise', the French kiss on the cheeks often given as a greeting even between relative strangers.

For a French student who gave the president a kiss when he greeted the enraptured crowd said he was initially reluctant to get close to her.

In fact, she said he had to be persuaded to do so by Nicolas Sarkozy.

No kiss for you: Mr Obama at first declined to give Cecilia Dervogne a kiss - pointing out that his wife Michelle was behind him. But Nicolas Sarkozy would not take no for an answer

'You're not going to give her a kiss?': Mr Obama is embraced by a girl believed to be Cecilia Dervogne - after grinning Nicolas Sarkozy, behind him, insists

Cecilia Dervogne, a student at the University of Strasbourg, was among a noisy crowd of well-wishers greeting the Obamas as they arrived today.

As they approached the crowd to shake hands, Ms Dervogne called out to him.

'I said in slightly hesitating English... 'A kiss for me?'' Ms Dervogne told i-tele television.

'He showed me his bodyguards, who were surveying everything. I think there was a security gap we were supposed to keep to,' she said.

Mr Obama also apparently pointed out that his wife, Michelle, was watching.

But Mr Sarkozy would not be deterred, Ms Devogne said.

Mr Obama did not appear fazed by getting too close to Mr Sarkozy as the two leaned in for some private words

'And there was Mr Sarkozy who re-insisted and said: 'What, you're not going to give her a kiss?'

'So he offered his cheek timidly and I gave him a kiss.'

Mr Obama is wildly popular in France, in contrast to his predecessor George Bush.

And his confusion over the 'bise' did not mar the pomp and pageantry in Strasbourg this morning as the G20 circus rolled into London - and the two most glamourous First Ladies in the world faced off against one another.

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Michelle Obama sheds her jacket to reveal a brilliant magenta dress as she heads off for lunch with Carla Bruni in Paris today

Self-conscious Sarko? The notably short French president attempts to live up to the rest of the party by standing on tiptoe

Inching up: Mr Sarkozy tries to stand tall

Demurely dressed in matching pussy bow jackets, Michelle Obama and Ms Bruni posed up together with their husbands in front of cheering crowds.

Meanwhile the French President found it was a tall order making your mark on the world stage standing at only 5ft 6in high.

Nicolas Sarkozy found it even harder when being pictured with Barack Obama, one of the globe's biggest players in height and importance.

The French President clearly felt he had to stand on tippy toes to make up a little of the shortfall on the 6ft 2in U.S. leader.

Mr Sarkozy's plight was not helped by the leaders' wives.

His other half, Carla Bruni, is an elegant 5ft 9in while Michelle Obama stands at 5ft 11in before adding the designer heels she favours.

The overall effect risked making the notoriously chippy French leader appear faintly ridiculous as the couples met at the Nato summit yesterday.

Wife Carla had stuck to signature neutrals while American First Lady Michelle opted for a vibrant floral patterned coat.

She later shed the coat to reveal a brilliant magenta dress with a metallic sheen by Thakoon.

Dare to bare: Michelle Obama shows some leg as she chats to Carla Bruni before lunch at Palais Rohan

The double-hemmed dress was of Italian silk and cost £999 - an upping of the fashion ante by Mrs Obama, who wore JCrew while with Sarah Brown in London.

The Obamas were greeted by a military band and an honour guard of soldiers dressed in full military regalia.

They were cheered by hundreds of people who had gathered outside the Palais Rohan for the state visit.

Eyes of the world: Both Michelle and Carla generate huge amounts of attention wherever they go

Who takes the title of ultimate first wife still remains to be decided - though round one, the G20 summit in London, was a clear win for Michelle, simply because Carla did not turn up.

The official line was that French president Nicolas Sarkozy's wife had wanted some quiet time in Paris.

But there have been claims that Carla only avoided attending because she was used to being the centre of attention, and was not enthused about joining 16 other First Ladies at the same time

‘As a model and pop star Carla always likes being the focus of people’s attention,’ a Paris source said.

Sarah Brown wore a bright jacket but demure flats as she left Heathrow for Strasbourg with husband Gordon Brown as well as Foreign Secretary David Miliband and Defence Secretary John Hutton today

‘She knows Michelle will the First Lady everybody is interested in, and that’s one of the reason she’s snubbed London.’

On Saturday Carla and Michelle are expected to pose at the city's cathedral while their husbands and other NATO leaders talk business.

The pair will be encouraged to ‘break away’ from other leaders' partners during a walk-about which also includes a visit to a cancer research institute.

‘We very much hope that the two First Ladies will be pictured together in our Gothic cathedral,’ said a Strasbourg tourist office spokesman.

Earlier in the week, Michelle Obama joined 15 other presidential spouses for the G20 in London.

The wives were hosted by Gordon Brown's wife Sarah who had worked out a schedule, organising a range of activities including a meal in Downing Street cooked by Jamie Oliver and a trip to Buckingham Palace.

Statuesque: Carla Bruni is known for wearing flat shoes but probably wished she had picked heels to stand next to the towering Michelle

Back in Paris, Carla Bruni could be seen looking unusually severe and smoking a cigarette at lunch in Paris.

In what was viewed as a snub to Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, the 41-year-old supermodel-turned-pop-singer was enjoying a ‘quiet day’ at home in Paris.

Rather than supporting her own husband, President Nicolas Sarkozy, Carla chose to enjoy a bit of 'me time' at the couple’s £3million town house close to Paris’s Bois de Boulogne.

Sizing each other up: The pair wore matching pussy-bow jackets but in very different shades

The official Elysée Palace explanation for Carla’s absence was that the summit was not a state visit, and so it was ‘normal’ for her not to show up.

‘She has a great deal of her own work to do,’ said a source close to the Italian-born beauty.

The source added that Carla would ‘undoubtedly’ be spending some time in the recording studio which forms part of the house.

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