Eva Pavlová (

née The birth name is the name of the person given upon their birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name or to the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a births registe ...

Zelená; born 5 November 1964) is a Czech military officer who has been the

first lady of the Czech Republic The First Lady of the Czech Republic () is the hostess of the Prague Castle, advisor to the president, and often plays a role in social activism. The position is traditionally held by the wife of the president of the Czech Republic, concurrent wi ...

since March 2023 as the wife of President

Petr Pavel Petr Pavel (; born 1 November 1961) is a Czech politician and retired army general, currently serving as the president of the Czech Republic since March 2023. Prior to this, he held the position of Chairman of the NATO Military Committee from 2 ...

. Pavlová also serves as a lieutenant colonel in the

Czech Army The Czech Armed Forces (), also known as the Czech Army, are the military responsible for the defence of the Czech Republic as the main part of the Armed Forces of the Czech Republic (). The Czech Armed Forces led by the General Staff consis ...

reserve and as a member of the municipal assembly in her home municipality of

Černouček Černouček is a municipality and village in Litoměřice District in the Ústí nad Labem Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 300 inhabitants. Geography Černouček is located about west of Mělník and north of Prague. It lies in a flat ...

Early life and education

Pavlová graduated from grammar school and, as part of her sports activities, was mainly involved in shooting. After graduating in 1983, she continued her studies at the Female Military Vocational School at the High Military Aviation School in

Košice Košice is the largest city in eastern Slovakia. It is situated on the river Hornád at the eastern reaches of the Slovak Ore Mountains, near the border with Hungary. With a population of approximately 230,000, Košice is the second-largest cit ...

. In 1985, she decided to continue her military career and signed up to study at the Military Political Academy in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

in a program intended for future communist political commissars. She later stated that she was initially informed that she did not have a suitable "staff profile". She thus submitted an application to the

Communist Party of Czechoslovakia The Communist Party of Czechoslovakia ( Czech and Slovak: ''Komunistická strana Československa'', KSČ) was a communist and Marxist–Leninist political party in Czechoslovakia that existed between 1921 and 1992. It was a member of the Com ...

. She finished school in 1990. At the beginning of the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

, on 20 November 1989, she resigned from the Communist Party. She then evaluated her membership in the party as a mistake. Pavlová met Petr Pavel at the garrison dormitory in

Prostějov Prostějov (; ) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is historically known for its fashion industry. The historic city centre is well preserved and is protected as an urban monument zo ...

. However, since they both had partners, their relationship did not begin until several years later. The wedding took place in 2004. She later worked at the General Staff at time when Petr Pavel was Chief of Staff, being put in charge of communication with foreign military and aviation attachés to the Czech Republic. After leaving the army, she started working as an assistant in a

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

family

mediation Mediation is a structured, voluntary process for resolving disputes, facilitated by a neutral third party known as the mediator. It is a structured, interactive process where an independent third party, the mediator, assists disputing parties ...

centre. She lives with her husband in the village of

. She participated in the 2022 municipal elections as a non-party member of SNK Černouček 2022 and was elected as a member of the municipal assembly.

Family

Pavlová has a daughter from a previous marriage, Eva Friedlová, who was born in 1992.

Honours

*: Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown (4 June 2025)

Gallery

Buckingham Palace reception (52873653143).jpg, Eva Pavlová accompanying her husband during a HM King Charles III reception at Buckingham Palace, May 2023 Petr Pavel Zuzana Čaputová Praha 2023.jpg, The first lady between her husband and Slovak president

Zuzana Čaputová Zuzana Čaputová (; Strapáková; born 21 June 1973) is a Slovak politician, lawyer and environmental activist who served as the fifth president of Slovakia from 2019 to 2024. Čaputová is the first woman to hold the presidency, as well as the ...

before farewell to

Karel Schwarzenberg Karel Schwarzenberg (, 10 December 1937 – 12 November 2023) was a Czech politician, diplomat and statesman who served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Czech Republic), Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic from 2007 to 2009 and ...

, December 2023 2024-03-14 – PBBM received arrival honors at Prague Castle (01).jpg, Presidential couples of the Czech Republic and the Philippines at

Prague castle Prague Castle (; ) is a castle complex in Prague, Czech Republic serving as the official residence and workplace of the president of the Czech Republic. Built in the 9th century, the castle has long served as the seat of power for List of rulers ...

, March 2024

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pavlova, Eva 1964 births Living people First ladies of the Czech Republic People from Šumperk Petr Pavel Grand Crosses of the Order of the Crown (Netherlands)