Carla Bruni branded a 'modern day Marie Antoinette'

London, June 30 : French first lady Carla Bruni-Sarkozy has been compared to Marie Antoinette by one of the country's most influential political journals.

According to Marianne, the country is sick and tired of the 40-year-old's repeated preening and showing off for the world's media, which has intensified in recent weeks as the former model-turned-pop-star prepares to release her third album of songs.

This is followed by everything from nude pictures of Bruni - released by Christie's auction house on the eve of her state visit to Britain - to intimate interviews in which she talks about her chequered love life and her Left-wing political instincts.

The political journal goes on to say that with Bruni's conservative husband Nicolas Sarkozy trying to reform France with a Right-wing agenda, such images and meandering comments have made her look distinctly foolish, drawing comparisons with Antoinette, ill-fated wife of King Louis XVI who was beheaded during the French Revolution.

Nicolas Domenach, the author of the Marianne article, said that Bruni considers herself to be one of the most beautiful woman in Europe just like Antoinette.

"The president himself seems to be saying at every opportunity, 'Isn't she beautiful, isn't she clever, doesn't she sing well...?' And the public are getting tired of it," the Telegraph quoted Domenach, as stating in the journal.

Domenach commented on the praise Bruni heaps on her husband by referring to the wives of past presidents, Jacques Chirac and Francois Mitterand.

"Pass me the sick bucket! Can we imagine Bernadette Chirac or Danielle Mitterand gushing such sugary compliments about their husbands," he stated.

Domenach said of the Sarkozys: "They are always pawing each other in public, which might be normal for newly-weds, but he is the president and she is the first lady - and they are not exactly young! The endless photos of Carla cosying up to Nicolas have become nothing more than a vulgar charade.

"Quite frankly it's overkill and we can't take any more. She is not so much a perfume but a very strong air freshener that we use to cover up unpleasant smells in public places," he stated.

ANI