One of Luxembourg’s most visible figures has found herself embroiled in a scandal after being spotted with a prominent banker.
Gëlle Fra, a resident of the capital who for years has been considered an icon of the country, was photographed on Thursday night on what appeared to be a date with a very tall banker , aptly named Tall Banker.
Fra, 95, has made a name for herself by being golden, overseeing Luxembourg-ville from a height of nearly 25 meters, and remaining chaste, yet she is not a total stranger to controversy. After a trip to Shanghai in 2010, rumors swirled that she had engaged in a warehouse fling with a Chinese terracotta sculpture.
When asked about her relationship with Banker, Fra only admitted that they are close friends because they “see eye to eye” with each other.
“Not to sound arrogant, we’re both of a rather high standing, which means we have a lot in common,” she said. “Lots of ‘how’s the weather up there?’ jokes and people taking unflattering photos up our noses.”
Fra also says that Banker is a consummate gentleman, always ready to cover her with his three-meters-in-diameter umbrella when it rains, which is often. Moreover, she says, he’s very well versed on news and current events because he habitually carries a newspaper under his arm.
Yet some residents — especially older ones with more traditional values — disapprove of Fra’s decision to consort with Banker, and say that Fra should save herself for a more suitable piece of figurative art.
“She’s a beautiful golden ode to our national history and identity who could live to be 1000 years old but not look a day older than 25,” said one great-grandmother from Bonnevoie. “But this young banker fellow, well, he wears trousers that are too tight and he looks like he’s made of plastic.”
“I predict he’ll end up in the recycling center within the next 10 years,” she said. “Gëlle Fra should wait for a more suitable partner, maybe a nice classical marble sculpture from Italy.”
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Originally published by RTL Today on Nov. 9, 2018. Original Gëlle Fra photo credit: Wikimedia Commons / Cayambe.