Helping the English to understand the French

Jonathan Fenby (Reuters 1963 to 1977), the insignia of Chevalier of the Légion d’Honneur on his chest, with the French ambassador Bernard Emié in London.

Chevalier - a French knighthood - is France’s highest decoration and a rare honour for a foreigner. Fenby, former Reuters editor now a best-selling author, received it for his contribution to the 2010 commemoration of the 70th anniversary of Charles de Gaulle's wartime call to resistance from London in 1940.

The ambassador, speaking at his residence in Kensington Palace Gardens earlier this month, described one of Fenby’s many books about France, The General: Charles de Gaulle and the France He Saved, as being essential in helping the English understand the French better.

Alluding to the sometimes difficult relationship between British prime minister Winston Churchill and de Gaulle during World War II, the ambassador recalled Churchill’s own reply when asked by Sir Harold Nicolson whether he thought de Gaulle was a great man. “De Gaulle, a great man?” Churchill replied. “He is arrogant, an egoist, he thinks he’s the centre of the universe. Yes, he’s a great man.” ■