Still not first lady after charter defines role of Macron's wife

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron's office has published a charter detailing the role his wife will play during his term, a first for the country but a step down from his initial plan to give her a budget and legal status as first lady.

The Charter of Transparency says there will be no formal budget for the endeavors of Brigitte Macron and she will not be paid. Macron dropped the idea of creating a special budget for his wife after a recent petition opposing it quickly secured more than 280,000 signatures.

France does not have a formal title or role for the spouses of its presidents, and the centrist Macron wanted to change that and do away with what he once called "French hypocrisy" about the non-status of presidential spouses.