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updated 9 Jan 2010, 21:24
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Sat, Jan 09, 2010
The Sunday Times
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First wives click
by Foong Woei Wan

Who: Carla Bruni, 41, wife of French President Nicolas Sarkozy. She was a supermodel-turned-singer.

Website: www.carlabrunisarkozy.org

It is not clear that Her Fabulousness writes any of the entries on her website, which was launched last month apparently to keep up with her tweeting British counterpart, Mrs Sarah Brown.

But the articles in the A-to-Z guide to Ms Bruni's life, likes and dislikes - be they informative, breathless or ironic - reflect her image as a glamorous, cerebral celebrity.

In entries on topics ranging from singer Bono to fashion brand Dior to her hero Nelson Mandela, she refers to herself in the third person.

Typically, an article on film-maker Woody Allen ends with a glowing mention of her: 'When he was asked after the release of Whatever Works what famous person he would see as an actor if he had the choice between the Dalai Lama and the Queen of England, he answered: 'Carla Bruni,' adding: 'She has charisma and she's used to appearing on stage. I could give her any role at all.''

Also getting entries of their own are her Gibson acoustic guitar, which was given by United States First Lady Michelle Obama, and her pillbox hat which she famously - and oh-so-splendidly - wore to Britain.

Soundbytes: On a state visit to Madrid: 'The Sarkozy couple's visit to Spain is once more an opportunity to compare the styles of First Ladies. As with Michelle Obama, it is a beauty contest between Princess Letizia, a former star journalist, and Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, ex-top model. From their Louboutin shoes to their Azzedine Alaia dresses, the essentials are all there.'

On the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburg: 'We all know how much Andy Warhol was involved in the music scene... After the visit organised for the First Ladies alongside the G20, Carla Bruni-Sarkozy stayed on for a guided tour with the curator: obvious affinities for the most musical of the First Ladies.'

Twitterometer: ***


Who: Sarah Brown, 46, wife of British Prime Minister Gordon Brown. She was a public relations executive.

Website: twitter.com/SarahBrown10

She might not win a beauty contest with MsBruni but she is,hands-down, the more genial and genuine Web presence.

She is one of the most-read Twitter users in Britain, along with writer-actor Stephen Fry, and has more than 920,000 followers.

Her tweets tend to be about her thoughts, feelings and the details of her day-to-day life at 10 Downing Street: from having breakfast with Mrs Ban Soon Taek, wife of United Nations secretary- general Ban Ki Moon, to finding that 'someone with sticky jammy fingers' - one of her two young sons, possibly - has been playing with her keyboard.

Down-to-earth and self-deprecating, she appears to be not so much a political wife as an ordinary woman in an extraordinary position.

Soundbytes: 'I don't want to say this too often but it matters to a lot of people in the UK: HM Queen is First Lady - I am wife of PM!'

'Have left it very late and now rushing to get ready for big state dinner - thankfully have a beautiful dress to put on so it can wear me!'

'I think you are confusing me with the Vegetarian cookbook author of the same name'

Twitterometer: ****


Who: Queen Rania of Jordan, 39, wife of King Abdullah II. She was a Citibank employee.

Website: twitter.com/QueenRania

She is the queen of social media and hers is a one-woman charm offensive from the desert.

In her videos on her YouTube channel, she urges netizens to join her in undermining stereotypes of Middle Easterners.

But few do it as well as her on her Twitter page, surely, where she chats to more than one million followers about her four children, charity work, travels and the latest movies.

She is unabashed in her enjoyment of the romcom Ghosts Of Girlfriends Past, for example, and tweets: 'Nice movie to watch with girls; husband (real life action man) mumbling 'chickflick!' under breath. Spoilsport. Just kidding!'

In such moments, she and her husband sound like any other couple from any other modern, Westernised household.

Soundbytes: 'Taking kids 2 meet Pope, just about convinced eldest 2 wear suit. Now negotiating with my 4 yr old!'

'Spent some time in Elba, saw Napoleon's temp abode, ate enough gelato to make Italian cows moo in unison & protest'

'Ystrday's speech meant missing son's sport day. The guilt! Made it by getting all on tape & watching w/ him ovr bowl of popcorn.'

Twitterometer: *****

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This article was first published in The Sunday Times.

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