Public diplomacy emerged as an important diplomatic practice in international relations around 1965. Although this form of diplomacy had existed earlier, it was only then recognised as a distinct model. The proliferation of public diplomacy practices in the world is indicative of the post-Cold War period. In this period, when hard power practices were replaced by soft power parameters, cultural studies increased and ideas and thoughts were used to elicit sympathy from foreign publics. From this perspective, states have moved away from using traditional diplomatic actors as sole implementers. New actors such as non-governmental organisations, think tanks, universities, academics, citizens, businessmen, artists, sportsmen, etc. have been used. First ladies are undoubtedly among these actors. Today, first ladies are seen as actors who play an important role in the objectives that many states seek to achieve. The aim of this study is to analyse whether or not first ladies are involved in public diplomacy processes and, if so, how they participate in this process. While research on first ladies’ involvement in public diplomacy is limited, this study shows that first ladies perform a diplomatic function through their roles such as country promotion, nation branding, etc. rather than a traditional role or political stance. The main questions of the research are whether first ladies participate in public diplomacy activities and, if so, in which areas and directions they participate. To answer these questions, this study presents an exploratory case study of the role and activities of First Lady Emine Erdoğan, wife of the 12th President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. From this perspective, this study aims to introduce the model of “first lady public diplomacy” to the international relations literature.