A sexism row has erupted after Brigitte Macron, wife of French President Emmanuel, was criticised for refusing to follow protocol by standing behind her husband on state visits.

Ms Macron said this week she would no longer take a back seat in her role as First Lady, choosing instead to walk beside the President during official outings as she looks to take on “a more meaningful role” at the Elysee Palace.

“A woman today does not have to be behind,” she explained, according to radio station RTL.

Her declaration prompted derision and unflattering comparisons on social media.

“It’s confirmed: Brigitte Macron, unelected, thinks she is the Queen of France,” sneered one tweet, while another said: ”We elected your husband, not you, so stay where you were please, darling.”

Some likened Ms Macron to Marie Antoinette, the country’s last queen before the French Revolution, while others pointed out male spouses – such as the Duke of Edinburgh – were also expected to step back during state visits.

French politicians also waded in. Gilbert Collard a far-right MP and ally of Front National leader Marine Le Pen, joked in reference to the 24-year age gap between the French President and his wife: “I imagine Macron, two steps behind, sucking his presidential thumb.”

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But some accused Ms Macron’s critics of “lacking respect”, with one telling Mr Collard: “ You still live in the olden days, sadly you are old-fashioned.”

Tristan Bromet, Ms Macron’s chief of staff, told French magazine Gala the First Lady’s decision to flout convention showed her marriage was a “modern union in which the woman is placed at the same level as the man”.

Ms Macron is expected to take up position alongside the President when the couple visit China next week.

Last year the French leader was forced to abandon plans to give his wife an official salaried role as First Lady after more than 300,000 people signed a petition opposing the appointment, which would have required a change of the country’s constitution.