France's first lady Brigitte Macron has made a cameo appearance in the latest instalment of the hit series Emily in Paris.

The wife of President Emmanuel Macron features in the second instalment of season four of the comedy, which airs on Netflix on Thursday.

The show - centred on a Chicago woman called Emily Cooper, played by British-American star Lily Collins, who moves to the French capital - has won fans but also drawn criticism for portraying a stereotypical image of Paris.

But Mrs Macron, 71, has lent it her ringing endorsement, by playing herself in a short scene in which she poses for a selfie with Emily in a restaurant.

Collins says the idea for the cameo, first reported this week by Elle magazine, was spawned when she and the show's creator Darren Star met Mrs Macron at the Élysée Palace in December 2022.

The first lady is mentioned in season one of the show, when she shares Emily’s Instagram post expressing disappointment that the French word for vagina, le vagin, is masculine.

"She is a big fan of the show and took the mention of her in season one with great humour," Collins told Elle.

"This scene in season four is a wink, and shooting with her was both an honour and a real joy."

Star, meanwhile, said Mrs Macron had "great talent" when appraising her performance.

In the scene, Emily (Collins) approaches Mrs Macron as she sits with two other women in a restaurant.

The first lady waves away her security guard as Emily explains she is the person behind the Instagram account Emily in Paris.

After a short exchange, Emily takes a selfie with Mrs Macron and posts it to Instagram, with the post including the hashtag #makeiticonic, a slogan from President Macron's drive to attract foreign investors to France.

Netflix confirmed to AFP that the first lady wore her own clothing "with no particular instructions given to her" by the series known for its fashion.

Collins was quoted as saying Mrs Macron had "actually asked us" to appear in the show, "which was wild".

But the Élysée has reportedly briefed media outlets in France that the request in fact came from the show's producers.