George and Amal Clooney become French citizens to protect twins from paparazzi
Seeking a life away from Hollywood’s glare, the Clooneys and their twins leave Los Angeles for France’s privacy laws and quiet estate life
Hollywood star George Clooney has become French, along with his wife Amal Alamuddin Clooney and eight-year-old twins Alexander and Ella, an official decree on Monday showed.
The publication, in France’s government gazette, confirms an ambition Clooney alluded to early in December, when he hailed French privacy laws that keep his family shielded from paparazzi.
“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” the 64-year-old actor told RTL radio at the time – in English.
“Here, they don’t take photos of kids. There aren’t any paparazzi hidden at the school gates. That’s number one for us,” he said.
Growing up away from the spotlight in France, “they’re not on their iPads, you know?” he said. “They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life.”
The now-dual US-French citizen has a long attachment to Europe, which even predates his 2014 marriage to Amal, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer who speaks fluent French.
