Duchess makes romance with politician public

Princess Maria Carolina of Bourbon-Two Sicilies, an Italian socialite, has confirmed her relationship with France's far-right presidential hopeful Jordan Bardella.

Princess Maria also known as Duchess of Calabria and Palermo is a model and social media influencer. She is the eldest daughter and heiress of Prince Carlo, Duke of Castro, the disputed head of the House of Bourbon-Two Sicilies.

Pictures taken on holiday in Corsica showed the couple cozying up to each other, according to celebrity magazine Paris Match. "The idyll that no-one expected," read the headline.

Rumors of a love affair have been circulating since January when the pair were seen together at an event in Paris to mark the 200th anniversary of Le Figaro newspaper.

However, Jordan Bardella, who is president of the Rassemblement National (RN) party, has parried questions about his personal life during interviews.

He has been of the view that his private life is his "last space of liberty."

According to BBC, Bardella will run for the French presidency next year if a court rules in July that historic party leader Marine Le Pen is ineligible because of a conviction for misuse of EU parliamentary funds.