Ségolène Royal

Segolene Royal developed a relationship with François Hollande, the present President of France, during the late 1970s. The couple never got married and neither did they go for a civil union. Four children were born out of their union. Her son Thomas Hollande, served as an adviser to her during her presidential candidacy. The couple reportedly split in 2007.

Ségolène Royal was born as, Marie-Ségolène Royal on 22 September 1953 in the military base of Ouakam, Dakar, French West Africa (now Senegal) to Hélène Dehaye and Jacques Royal. Her father was a former artillery officer and aide to the mayor of Chamagne (Vosges). She has seven siblings.

After completing her schooling she studied economics at the École Nationale d’Administration in Paris. Here she met François Hollande, a classmate, who would eventually become her partner and a famous politician himself. Around this time she also dropped the “Marie” from her name and from then on, became known only as Ségolène Royal.

After completing her education, Ségolène Royal started working as a judge of an administrative court. While working in this position, she got noticed by President François Mitterrand's special adviser Jacques Attali, who recruited her as a chargée de mission in 1982. She held this post until 1988.

In 1988 she registered in the rural, Western Deux-Sèvres Département after deciding to become a candidate for the legislative election the same year. She was standing against an entrenched UDF incumbent. This being her first election, she was not expected to win against the incumbent, but beating all odds, she won.

Ségolène Royal served as the representative in the National Assembly for the Deux-Sèvres' 2nd constituency from 1988 to 1992.

Later on she held a number of government positions, serving as the Minister of Environment (1992–1993), Minister of School Education (1997–2000), Minister of Family and Children (2000–2001) and Minister of Family, Children and Disabled persons (2001–2002).

She rose in prominence over the years and in 2004, she was elected president of the Poitou-Charentes regional council, with more than 55% of the vote. What made her resounding victory even more significant was the fact that she defeated her opponent Élisabeth Morin who was a protégée of the Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin.