Long seen as the cool, coifed wife of the president, she emerged as a political player in her own right, as well as a relentless champion of charities. Widow of French ex-president Jacques Chirac was a steely behind-the-scenes operator known for her charity workBernadette Chirac, the formidable widow of the former French president Jacques Chirac and a driving force behind his political rise, has died at the age of 93.As France’s first lady for 12 years, Chirac was a steely behind-the-scenes operator in support of her husband, who served twice as prime minister, 18 years as mayor of Paris and two terms as president. Key points and original sources are listed below.

• Long seen as the cool, coifed wife of the president, she emerged as a political player in her own right, as well as a relentless champion of charities.S1

• Widow of French ex-president Jacques Chirac was a steely behind-the-scenes operator known for her charity workBernadette Chirac, the formidable widow of the former French president Jacques Chirac and a driving force behind his political rise, has died at the a...S2