As chancellor, Angela Merkel kept her private life protected. Her husband, Joachim Sauer, once explained his distance from her office: Meine Person steht in keinem Verhältnis zu der politischen Arbeit von Angela Merkel. My person has no relation to the political work of Angela Merkel. Since leaving office, she shares a little more. In 2026 she told the magazine Focus about her garden and about fried potatoes at ten at night.