Macron video causes speculation as his wife appears to slap him

A video of French President Emmanuel Macron arriving in Vietnam caused a stir and speculation online on Monday.

Shortly after the plane door opens, the video appears to show Macron's wife Brigitte's hand landing on the president's face. Only Brigitte's arm was visible.

Her husband looked in her direction, glanced briefly at the camera and then waved.

According to the president's entourage, "It was a moment when the president and his wife let off steam one last time before the start of the trip by fooling around."

Rumours had previously been circulating online that Brigitte had violently attacked Emmanuel. "That was all it took to give the conspiracy theorists something to talk about," said a source close to the president regarding the short video.

They added that the Russian state broadcaster RT (formerly Russia Today) had previously hinted that Macron was being beaten by his wife.

EU member states and several other countries have revoked the broadcaster's licence to prevent the spread of Russian war propaganda and disinformation.

The Élysée Palace recently firmly denied a false report about a supposed bag of cocaine belonging to Macron on the train to Kiev. The rumour had been spread on a website that closely resembled a site identified by France as part of the Russian propaganda network.

Macron and his wife are currently on a state visit to Vietnam, Indonesia and Singapore until Friday. He is due to discuss defence issues and environmental challenges with the leaders of those countries.