Gay officer killed in Paris terror attack and partner are posthumously married

Gay policeman Xavier Jugelé, who was killed in a Paris terror attack in April, was posthumously married to his grieving partner on Wednesday.

The wedding between the late Jugelé and Etienne Cardiles was attended by Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and former French president François Hollande.

The couple were already in a civil union but are now formally married.

Under French law, a posthumous marriage can be approved on the basis of ‘significant grounds’ if requested by the surviving partner.

It is believed that the unique wedding is the first posthumous same-sex marriage in the world.

Jugelé, 37, was the only fatality when Karim Cheurfi opened fire on a police van on the Champs Élysées on April 20. Two other officers and a bystander were injured. Cheurfi was shot dead as he fled.

Days later, a tearful Cardiles delivered an emotional and powerful eulogy to his slain partner at a memorial service in Paris, attended by politicians, officials and police officers.

Cardiles said he would “suffer without hate” because that is not what Jugelé would have wanted and not why he joined the police force. Jugelé, explained Cardiles, believed “that tolerance, dialogue and patience” were his strongest weapons as an officer.

Cardiles described his husband as a “man full of culture and joy, who loved music and film” and said that he “lived like a star and left like a star”. He concluded: “I would like to tell you that you will stay in my heart forever. I love you.”

Jugelé was posthumously promoted and awarded the Legion of Honour, France’s highest honour.