Sarkozy's former wife reported to have remarried

The ex-wife of French president Nicolas Sarkozy tied the knot last night in the US, a French newspaper website reported.

Mr Sarkozy is due to begin an official visit to Britain on Wednesday that will include a meeting with the Queen.

While details about the nuptials have been kept under wraps, Cecilia Ciganer-Albeniz – the former Mrs Sarkozy – was to marry Richard Attias, an events planner, daily paper Le Figaro’s internet site said, citing a copy of the wedding programme.

Two limousine-type luxury buses of people in formal wear arrived at the famed Rainbow Room in New York’s Rockefeller Centre, late last night. One unidentified woman passenger said she was attending a wedding, but would not say whose.

Ms Ciganer-Albeniz’s lawyer, Michele Cahen, did not return calls over the weekend seeking comment on the wedding plans.

The couple had booked the Rainbow Room for a Sunday evening wedding and reception, lefigaro.fr said. The 65th floor room has a revolving dance floor and offers a panoramic view of New York.

The wedding ceremony was scheduled to draw 150 guests, culminating three days of private festivities that began with a party on Friday at Attias’ house in Connecticut, the report said.

Photographers snapped photos of Ms Ciganer-Albeniz and Mr Attias as they emerged together on Saturday evening from a car to see the Abba-inspired musical Mamma Mia! At a Broadway theatre.

The marriage will be the third for 50-year-old Ms Ciganer-Albeniz. Her first husband was French television presenter Jacques Martin. Mr Attias, a 48-year-old Jewish Moroccan-born multi-millionaire, is the president of Paris-based Publicis Events Worldwide with offices spanning the globe.

Ms Ciganer-Albeniz left Sarkozy in May 2005 to live with Attias, but returned to Mr Sarkozy’s side in the run-up to France’s presidential elections last spring. Their divorce was announced in October, ending an 11-year marriage.

Last month, the French leader married Carla Bruni, the Italian-born singer and former model. Their brief courtship led to a glitzy February wedding in which they borrowed a private jet from a billionaire friend for a holiday.

They reportedly lavished each other with expensive presents – a Patek Philippe watch for him, a Dior ring for her.