George Clooney has been granted French citizenship along with his wife Amal and their two children, according to an official decree published in France’s government gazette.
The announcement confirms the actor’s ambition to establish his family permanently in France, where strict privacy laws shield children from paparazzi attention. The 64-year-old two-time Oscar winner now holds dual US-French nationality.
“I love the French culture, your language, even if I’m still bad at it after 400 days of courses,” Clooney told RTL radio in early December, speaking 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.”
French farm life
The couple lives with their eight-year-old twins on a farm in southern France at the Domaine du Canadel, a former wine estate near the village of Brignoles, which they purchased in 2021. Clooney told RTL that although the family travels frequently, their French home “is where we’re happiest”.
In a separate interview with Esquire magazine, Clooney expressed concern that his children might never “get a fair shake at life” in the United States, suggesting that life on a French farm would provide them with better opportunities.
Amal Clooney, a British-Lebanese human rights lawyer, speaks fluent French. She specialises in international law and human rights cases, representing clients at the International Court of Justice and European Court of Human Rights.
European property portfolio
Clooney’s attachment to Europe predates his 2014 marriage to Amal. He purchased an estate in Italy’s Lake Como region in 2002, which became one of his primary residences. The couple also owns a historic manor in England.
Beyond their French property, the Clooneys maintain a New York apartment and property in Kentucky, though they reportedly sold homes in Los Angeles and Mexico over the past decade.
The move toward France suggests a strategic retreat from Hollywood’s media spotlight whilst maintaining proximity to European culture and privacy protections.
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Photo credit: Harald Krichel, via Wikimedia Commons