Sarkozy the next generation - it's a boy

The French president, Nicolas Sarkozy has become a grand-father for the first time.

In the early hours of Wednesday morning Jessica, the wife of Sarkozy's second son, Jean, gave birth to a baby boy, according to the Internet site, Purepeople, which was the first to break the news.

Although there hasn't yet been an official statement from the Elysée palace, the president's office, the news has been confirmed by Patrick Balkany, a close friend of the family and the mayor of the Parisian suburb of Levallois-Perret, who told reporters (in that time-honoured tradition) that "both mother and baby were doing well."

The latest arrival to the Sarkozy family has might have some large footprints in which to tread but his will surely be a future cushioned by the fact that it'll be financially secure and potentially glowing.

His grandfather (who turns 55 at the end of this month) is of course president, and at 23 years of age his father is already an up-and-coming (already-arrived) member of the country's governing centre-right Union pour un Mouvement Populaire (Union for a Popular Movement, UMP) party as a regional councillor in Hauts-de-Seine.

And that's not forgetting his mother, who just happens to be an heiress to the big electronics company Darty.

All factors undoubtedly which have meant that, in this era in which politicians have achieved near celebrity status here in France, the Net has awash with surfers speculating none-too-seriously (perhaps) over what'll be in store for the baby.

"Nicolas Sarkozy's grandson has been appointed general manager of his future nursery," runs one tweet for example, a reference to his father's recent controversial candidature (later withdrawn) for the top job at l'Etablissement public d'aménagement du quartier d'affaires de la Défense (Epad), the development agency for business district of La Defense on the outskirts of Paris.

As for what the baby will be called - well there's no word on that yet. But a source close the president (yes it's that sort of story) has reportedly said that it'll be a "very unusual" name.

"Epad" suggested one wit in Twitter.