France appoints Catherine Pégard as culture minister as Dati departs

France’s President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu appointed Catherine Pégard as culture minister on 27 February 2026, replacing Rachida Dati, who is campaigning to become mayor of Paris in municipal elections in mid-March. Pégard previously led the Château de Versailles for 13 years and has served as Macron’s culture advisor since 2024, after earlier work as a political journalist at Le Point and as a speechwriter for former president Nicolas Sarkozy. The ministry is facing budget cuts and fallout from the October theft of the French crown jewels from the Louvre, which prompted a parliamentary investigation and the resignation of Louvre director Laurence des Cars one day before Dati stepped down.

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