How Queen Elizabeth II's love of France won over the French
Royal biographer recalls the late Queen's lifelong francophilia
To mark the centenary of Queen Elizabeth II’s birth, royal biographer Robert Hardman tells Sally Ann Voak about the monarch’s enduring interest in France, its people and language.
It was in spring 1948 that a newly married Princess Elizabeth – as she then was – made her first official visit to France, accompanied by Prince Philip.
She had been abroad just once, to southern Africa, and was eager to visit Paris.
It was a time of remembrance, aspiration, hard work and a renewed interest in travel and glamour after the suffering of World War Two.
Up to a million spectators were anticipated for her four-day trip, which it was hoped would help rebuild relations between the two countries, strained by the tumultuous events of the war.
However, the palace and government totally underestimated the impact her visit would have.
“It turned out to be a riot!” said Robert Hardman, Daily Mail journalist, broadcaster and royal biographer.
“She wore elegant clothes and her French was excellent thanks to good teaching and natural talent.
“It was the hottest Whitsun weekend in memory and tens of thousands lined the streets of Paris. A sight that reportedly moved her to tears.”
Her French fans did not hold back, shouting “Zizette” – their affectionate name for her.
When she visited the Eiffel Tower by lift, they climbed the stairs to meet her.
They followed her car through the packed Paris boulevards and even turned up outside the elegant Tour d’Argent restaurant to wave while the royal couple tucked into a sumptuous “private” spread.
The Duke of Edinburgh, suffering a digestive problem, did not mask his irritability and pain when he spotted a camera lens at an adjacent table. His wife, however, kept smiling.
“No one noticed Elizabeth’s tummy, and thought her waist was very small,” said Mr Hardman.
“In fact, she was three months’ pregnant with Prince Charles but worked her socks off during that short, hot visit, setting the high standard which we all still admire.
“She was fun too, combining her dedication to work with joie de vivre. The French sensed that.”
Despite five-course lunches and dinners, late nights, including an early morning departure from a nightclub, she opened a new exhibition called Eight Centuries of British Life in Paris, greeted dignitaries and waved to the enthusiastic crowds, which included tourists who had travelled to Paris from nearby Belgium and Holland.
“A princess raised on wartime notions of duty was not about to let her own medical condition upset months of planning,” said Mr Hardman.
“It was only after the visit that it was announced that the princess would not undertake any public engagements after the end of June.”
While the couple were in France, President Vincent Auriol, her host, conferred the Légion d’honneur, France’s highest accolade, on Elizabeth.
“Protocol would normally have meant a kiss on both cheeks for his royal guest, but he announced: ‘I will delegate my powers to your husband,’ and handed the Croix de Guerre to Philip for his war service.”
A warm welcome as Queen
It was quite the weekend. However, her next visit to France in 1957 – her first as monarch – was even more exuberant, said Mr Hardman.
“Once again, her command of French was an important factor. The then British ambassador, Sir Gladwyn Jebb, wrote: ‘When she speaks in public here, there is a quality in Her Majesty’s voice which the French find profoundly moving.’
“She received a tremendous reception from workers at a Renault factory and an ovation at a textile factory in Roubaix.”
How the Queen learnt French
So where, and why, did Elizabeth learn to speak such good French?
Mr Hardman explained: “Princess Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, still in their early teens, were educated at home in Windsor Castle during the war years. She excelled in constitutional history, taught by Henry Marten, vice-provost of nearby Eton, and another strong subject was French.
“As she was later to become Queen of Canada, this skill proved to be of huge importance.
“Even as a young student, she recognised that good French was vital. It was still the lingua franca of the royal houses and embassies of Europe.
“The Queen Mother was also a great Francophile and encouraged her daughters. She often referred to the importance of their devoir – the French word for duty, homework, or both!
“On the fall of Paris, she had broadcast to the women of France in French and, at the end of the war, General de Gaulle had special praise for her.”
After various tutors, a big boost to the young princesses’ French and social education came with the appointment of the Vicomtesse de Bellaigue, known as ‘Toni’ by her pupils.
A Belgian aristocrat, she had escaped to Britain with her husband and two young sons.
Toni taught French to the daughters of the King’s private secretary, Lord Hardinge, who, in 1941, recommended her to the King and Queen.
“Toni accompanied the princesses on their famous VE Day walkabout in London. She was smart, sophisticated and a great friend to them both. By all accounts, they had a good time!”
A lifelong connection with France
Throughout her reign, Elizabeth worked to improve her French.
“She visited often, including important trips to see her horses in Normandy, ordered French language tapes and swotted up on business, national and political events before travelling, especially to Canada,” said Mr Hardman.
“She was au fait with changes of leadership, checking details about everyone she was due to meet.”
Will younger royals continue to prioritise these French links?
“Hopefully,” said Mr Hardman. “King Charles always tops up his language skills before each royal visit. His spoken German is excellent and he can write in Arabic. Although Charles’s French is not as polished as that of his mother, he is a thorough researcher, preparing by using online data, recordings and by updating his vocabulary.”
The accidental royal reporter
Mr Hardman’s own meticulous research and (sometimes intimate) biographical details are legendary.
He visits France often and, for a few years, enjoyed a holiday home in the country.
Acknowledged as the UK’s leading royal chronicler, he describes himself modestly as an “accidental” royal reporter.
“My first job was actually as a piano player in a French bar, but after university I was lucky enough to get a two-week trial at the Daily Telegraph, and they then took me on.
“In January 1992, when working as a political reporter, I was sent to cover Sarah Ferguson’s winter trip to Klosters as I could ski!,” he said.
“That year turned out to be a dramatic one for the Royal Family, with the breakup of Charles and Diana’s marriage, then the horrendous fire at Windsor Castle. So I carried on writing about the royals!”
He has now written six books about Queen Elizabeth II over two decades.
Elizabeth II: In Private. In Public. The Inside Story is his latest, published in April.
Queen of the World, published in 2018, includes details of her meetings with international leaders.
Bunking off to bed and fresh air effrontery: navigating nine French presidents
After that first meeting with Vincent Auriol, Queen Elizabeth II met nine more French presidents.
“She was always gracious,” said royal biographer Robert Hardman, “with a tactful word or smile to smooth over tricky situations.”
Sarkozy's early night
One of the more memorable presidential faux pas was made by Nicolas Sarkozy during a state visit to Britain soon after his election in 2007.
A few weeks before the trip, he had married his girlfriend, the singer Carla Bruni – some said to aid the sleeping arrangements!
The reception at Windsor Castle was not quite as formal as expected when, soon after dinner, the happy couple disappeared.
“It was soon realised that they had gone off to bed,” said Mr Hardman, “although protocol dictated that no one should leave before the royals.
“There were critical mutterings but the Queen didn’t raise an eyebrow, seemingly bemused by this rudeness. However, there was no doubt that she knew exactly why they had gone!
“President Sarkozy left office before any return visit was organised!”
Helping presidents raise their game
In 2014, a trip to Normandy was planned to mark the 70th anniversary of D-Day. President François Hollande would be the royal party’s host.
A formal appearance in Paris was “bolted on” to the state visit, and an aide asked Queen Elizabeth if she would like some help preparing a speech for this.
“Why should I?” was her swift reply.
As is protocol, a copy of her French speech was shown to the President on the night before the formalities.
He had intended to say something short in English to briefly welcome them to France, but he decided to lengthen and improve his own address.
“By setting an example, she could gently coax heads of nations, even French presidents, to up their game,” said Mr Hardman. “These days we call it ‘soft power’!”
Fresh air diplomacy
Although Queen Elizabeth II is said to have been fond of socialist president François Mitterrand (they jointly opened the Channel Tunnel in 1994) and enjoyed a good rapport with Jacques Chirac, relations were more strained with the “aristocratic” Valéry Giscard d’Estaing, said Mr Hardman.
One disagreement occurred during his 1976 state visit to London.
At the return dinner, held at the French Embassy, the Queen asked for a window to be opened to let in some fresh air.
It was duly opened, but the president ordered it shut again without a word of apology.
The Queen continued eating, ignoring his apparently arrogant behaviour.
Her relationship with Charles de Gaulle was good, largely because of UK wartime support and the symbolic impact of her 1948 visit.
Her rapport with President Georges Pompidou was cordial too – she even helped plan a special British Embassy dinner, instructing staff to send over an enormous gold candelabra from London for the table.
As it was unpacked, a British staffer observed that there were “fifty more like this at home”.
“It was an effective regal touch,” said Mr Hardman, “just like her silk silver-lamé dress, adorned with the sash of the Légion d’honneur.”
