France names New Culture Minister
President Macron on Thursday announced that Catherine Pégard, a former magazine editor and former head of the Palace of Versailles, will take over the coveted culture portfolio from Rachida Dati.
Catherine Pégard, former president of the Chateau de Versailles and a close ally of French president Emmanuel Macron, will become the new French culture minister, reports French newspaper Le Monde.
Unconfirmed guestimates that she would replace the outgoing Rachida Dati were making the rounds for weeks. Pégard, 71, will have her work cut out. She will need to sort out the Louvre‘s predicament in the wake of the October theft of France’s crown jewels, while attempting to save Macron’s controversial $1 billion plan to overhaul the museum. It’s part of his cultural legacy, a prized tradition among French leaders that still holds sway.
Rachida Dati will turn her attention to the Paris mayoral race.
Main Image: © Photo Thomas Garnier