How French PM's beard became symbol of coronavirus crisis

TV viewers watched as Edouard Philippe's white patch grew, along with his popularity

As coronavirus spread through France, so did the grey in the prime minister's impressively dark beard. When Edouard Philippe regularly appeared on television to detail the ongoing health crisis or outline lockdown rules, viewers watched as the patch of hair on his left cheek grew, like the physical embodiment of the growing pandemic.

Was it his age, he is 49, or the stress of persistent rumours that the increasingly unpopular president, Emmanuel Macron, was about to dump his increasingly popular government leader?