George and Amal Clooney awarded French citizenship as family deepens roots in rural southern France

France has granted citizenship to George Clooney, his wife Amal and their two children, marking a significant step in the family’s long-term move away from Hollywood and towards a quieter life in southern Europe.

French goverment grants citizenship to George, Amal Clooney and their kids

The French government confirmed that the Clooneys were naturalised through a decree published last weekend in the Journal Officiel, the official record where citizenship decisions and other state acts are formally announced.

The notice listed the Kentucky-born actor, best known for the “Ocean’s” heist films, alongside his British-Lebanese wife and their twins, Ella and Alexander.

In keeping with French administrative practice, the decree stated that Amal Clooney was naturalised under her maiden name, Amal Alamuddin. It also recorded that the actor’s full name includes the middle name Timothy, a detail rarely mentioned in public.

The family’s ties to France have deepened steadily in recent years. In 2021, the couple bought a substantial estate in the south of the country, and Clooney later confirmed that the property had become their primary home. Speaking to Esquire magazine in October, he said the decision was driven largely by concerns about raising children in Los Angeles.

“I was worried about raising our kids in L.A., in the culture of Hollywood,” he told the magazine. “I don’t want them to be walking around worried about paparazzi. I don’t want them being compared to somebody else’s famous kids.”

He contrasted that experience with their life in rural France, where he said the twins were growing up with greater independence and fewer screens. Growing up away from the spotlight in France, “they’re not on their iPads, you know?” he said. "They have dinner with grown-ups and have to take their dishes in. They have a much better life."

Where are the Clooneys staying in France?

French media have reported that the Clooneys spend part of the year at an 18th-century villa near the town of Brignoles, a discreet location that allows the family to maintain a low profile. France’s strict privacy laws, which limit unauthorised photography, have also been cited as an important factor in their choice of residence.

In recent interviews promoting his latest film, ‘Jay Kelly,’ Clooney acknowledged that adapting to life in France has come with its own challenges. He said he was attempting to learn the language using a mobile app, though with limited success. His wife and children, he added, were already fluent.

“They speak French in front of me so that they can say terrible things about me to my face and I don't know," he joked, speaking to French broadcaster Canal+.

Local officials have portrayed the family as well-integrated and approachable. Brignoles mayor Didier Brémond told BFMTV that the Clooneys were “a very simple and very accessible family,” noting that the actor shops locally and attended the reopening of the town’s cinema. Their decision to take French citizenship, he said, demonstrated “his love for our country”.

“Here, he wants to live normally and that's what he is trying to do,” the mayor added.

Representatives for Clooney did not respond to a request for comment, and France’s Interior Ministry declined to answer questions about whether the actor has retained his American nationality.

Amal Clooney was born in Lebanon and raised in the UK, while the eight-year-old twins were born in London, giving the family a notably international background as they begin this new chapter as French citizens.