French President Emmanuel Macron is hit in the face by his wife

A video of Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, getting shoved by his wife, Brigitte Macron, has emerged,  shocking the international community.

Macron has landed in Vietnam for the start of his Southeast Asia tour, but a squabble on the plane has taken attention away from his diplomatic mission.

Shortly after the aeroplane doors were opened, Macron appeared to speak to his wife, who was standing near the cockpit entrance.

Suddenly, his wife Brigitte’s hands reached out and appeared to smack the French president’s mouth.

Macron appears momentarily surprised but quickly regains his composure and waves to the press outside.

As the couple descend the steps, Macron offers Brigitte his arm, which she does not take, opting instead to hold the railing.

Macron’s team initially denied the authenticity of the image before they were later confirmed as genuine.

Upon confirmation that the video was real, those who work closely with the couple played it down as a “little fun” between the couple.

They said: “It was a moment for the President and his wife to unwind one last time before the start of the trip by having a little fun.”

“It’s a moment of togetherness. No more was needed to feed the mills of the conspiracy theorists,” they added.

The incident has been condemned online, and body language expert Judi James told Metro the exchange was “unthinkable”.