FRANCE AND UK
President Emmanuel Macron on Thursday hailed Queen Elizabeth II as “a friend of France… who marked her country and her
century as never before”, following the announcement of her death.
Published: 8 September 2022 20:16 CEST
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II (C) is greeted by her son Prince Charles ahead of a British D-Day commemoration ceremony in Bayeux cemetery, northern France, on June 6, 2014, marking the 70th anniversary of the World War II Allied landings in Normandy. (Photo by LEON NEAL / AFP)
“Her Majesty the Queen Elizabeth II embodied continuity and unity in the British nation for more than 70 years,” the French leader tweeted.
“I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left her mark on her country and her century forever,” he said.
Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II embodied the British nation’s continuity and unity for over 70 years. I remember her as a friend of France, a kind-hearted queen who has left a lasting impression on her country and her century.
—Emmanuel Macron (@EmmanuelMacron) September 8, 2022
Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral, her beloved country house in Scotland, aged 96, after 70 years on the throne.
In a statement, Buckingham Palace said: “The Queen died peacefully at Balmoral this afternoon. The King and the Queen Consort will remain at Balmoral this evening and will return to London tomorrow.”
Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy said the queen “was the symbol of the unfailing friendship between our two countries and of the values on which it is based”.
“I cherish the memory of a brilliant and free spirit, faithful to the heavy burden of her duties; of a humble and generous personality, who inspired
entire generations”, he said.
Sarkozy also paid tribute to “her smile, full of kindness and playfulness” and her “deliciously British humour”.
Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo also paid homage to the “exceptional” Queen and expressed her deepest condolences to the Royal family on behalf of Paris.
“I had the great pleasure and the chance to welcome her with her husband Prince Philip in Paris in June 2014 and to talk to this exceptional woman, with such keen intelligence and curiosity.
“On this occasion, I had the honour of inaugurating alongside her the “Queen Elizabeth II – Flower Market” on the Ile de la Cité which has since shone in the heart of Paris. It was a moment that I will not forget and an encounter that will remain etched in my memory.”
Despite France’s, shall we say, uncompromising history with its own royal family, British royals – especially the Queen – are very popular in France, with the activities of the Royal Family a staple of French gossip magazines.
Earlier this year, to celebrate the Queen’s platinum Jubilee, the TV channel France info produced this short film showing her meeting all nine of the French presidents who were in power since her reign began in 1952.
She’s also shown making several speeches in French to an appreciative audience.
To mark the 2022 Jubilee, President Emmanuel Macron recorded this special video message for her.
The Queen’s reign spanned ten ????????presidents over 2 republics: Auriol, Coty, De Gaulle, Pompidou, Giscard d’Estaing, Mitterrand, Chirac, Sarkozy, Hollande, Macron. She was Francophile and francophone, and clearly enjoyed her visits to France. Here she is with De Gaulle in 1960
???????????????? pic.twitter.com/zcX0oesBsS— Sophie Pedder (@PedderSophie) September 8, 2022
The Queen’s husband Prince Philip, who died in 2021, was also a competent French speaker and in fact spent part of his childhood in France.
The below video shows a visit to Charles de Gaulle at the Elysée Palace in 1966, when he made a witty speech on the subject of the Anglo-French relationship and the stereotypes that Brits and French hold of each other (and yes, he made a joke about frogs).
VIDEO: Watch Prince Philip making a speech in French (with a ‘frog’ joke)