Tabloid's First Lady Video Causes Media Scandal
Questions of decorum - and speculation of possible relationship trouble for the President and the First Lady - were raised after a tabloid published images of what appeared to be Evelin Ilves in an intimate embrace with an unidentified younger man at a Tallinn nightspot.
Both delfi.ee and postimees.ee online sites ran the story, while some others held off, citing concerns regarding verifying authenticity and getting a comment from the First Lady or the President's Office, which handles many aspects related to the First Lady's activities.
Evelin Ilves, 46, was at the Komeet cafe in Tallinn on August 6, Postimees said based on the report by Kroonika, where she was seen in the company of the "28-30-year-old," "Estonian-speaking" man. The grainy cellphone video shows the two dancing and kissing.
Estonia is not known for aggressive paparazzi but tabloids have been known to be unfriendly to the Ilveses in the past, with frequent attempts to paint behavior as "unpresidential," such as in the case of Toomas Hendrik Ilves's use of social media and various statements by the First Lady.
The President's Office did not respond to repeated requests for comment from uudised.err.ee. But Evelin Ilves posted a public status to her Facebook page in which he alluded to a difficult time personally.