Expert breaks down what ‘really happened’ with Emmanuel Macron and wife Brigitte during viral ‘slap’ moment

An expert has broken down what 'really happened' with Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte during their viral 'slap' moment.

On Sunday (25 May), the 47-year-old French president and his missus, 72, kicked off their South-East Asia tour starting with Hanoi in Vietnam.

Footage from the Associated Press which has since circled all across social media shows Macron standing by the plane's exit as workers opened the door, at which point a hand believed to be Brigitte's suddenly comes into view and appears to 'slap' his face.

Seconds later, Brigitte walks out behind him and the pair descend the stairs onto the runway.

Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte, have gone viral this week after she allegedly 'slapped' him (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

The short clip has since taken the world by storm with a body language expert now getting involved in the matter to share their thoughts.

Body language Inbaal Honigman told Tyla that zooming in and slowing down Macron's interaction with his wife’s hand 'reveals several facts'.

She continued: "First of all, it is notable that his arm is initially not raised in front of him, and his face is not turned to the side, until the very end.

"When Brigitte’s hand meets Emmanuel’s face, he is looking directly at her, and his arm is by his side."

According to the expert, this lets us know that nothing in Macron's demeanour 'suggested to him that an attack was coming'.

"The other interesting fact is that his facial expression doesn’t show fear," Inbaal went on. "As his face turns away after Brigette’s hand is seen, his eyes are closed, in a protective move, but there are no other expressions of upset.

A body language expert has weighed in on the now-viral interaction (LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP via Getty Images)

"Even though this doesn’t appear playful, as there’s no laughter or smiling, it is also not necessarily an 'attack'."

She added: "It would appear that Brigitte didn’t intend for this outburst towards Emmanuel, which is why he was unprepared for it."

And as for the pair's descension down the plane's steps?

Well, Inbaal claimed: "Following the now-famous shove, president Macron walks out to the awaiting press, smiling and waving, Mrs. Macron behind him, and then walks by his side, which would have showed that all is well, but this appears to be a facade.

"Glance over any other photos of the couple, and they are usually hand in hand, or standing very close together so that their bodies are touching."

She added: "The distance between them after the interaction, reveals that the French Premier is still annoyed and doesn't want to be too close to Brigitte."

Macron has since broken his silence on the viral video, with France24 reporting he said: "We are horsing around and, really, joking with my wife."

The French president claimed that the incident had been massively overblown, adding: "It becomes a sort of geo-planetary catastrophe."

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