Yvonne Charlotte Anne-Marie de Gaulle (
née Vendroux; 22 May 1900 – 8 November 1979) was the wife of
Charles de Gaulle. The couple had three children:
Philippe (b. 1921), Élisabeth (1924–2013), and
Anne
Anne, alternatively spelled Ann, is a form of the Latin female given name Anna. This in turn is a representation of the Hebrew Hannah, which means 'favour' or 'grace'. Related names include Annie.
Anne is sometimes used as a male name in the ...
(1928–1948), who was born with
Down syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
. Yvonne de Gaulle set up a charity, ', to help children with disabilities.
Yvonne and Charles were married on 6 April 1921. She is known for the quote, "The presidency is temporary—but the family is permanent." She and her husband narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on 22 August 1962, when their
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS () is a front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations, across three series of one generation.
...
was targeted by
machine gun
A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) ar ...
fire arranged by
Jean Bastien-Thiry
Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry (; 19 October 1927 – 11 March 1963) was a French Air Force lieutenant-colonel and military air-weaponry engineer. He was the creator of the Nord SS.10/SS.11 missiles. He attempted to assassinate French President ...
at the
Petit-Clamart.
Like her husband, Yvonne de Gaulle was a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, and campaigned against prostitution, the sale of pornography in newsstands, and the televised display of nudity and sex, for which she earned the nickname ''Tante'' (''Auntie'') ''Yvonne''. Later, she unsuccessfully tried to persuade de Gaulle to outlaw miniskirts in France.
Yvonne was reputed to be very discreet; as such, despite numerous appearances, she never gave any radio or televised interviews, and the broader public never learned the sound of her voice.
Biography
Origins
Yvonne Vendroux came from a family of Calais industrialists with
Burgundian roots. The family name actually originated in
The Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
, changed from the Dutch "Van Droeg" when the family emigrated during the era of
William of Orange (also known as
William III of England
William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel in the Dutch Republic f ...
). William had decided to flood the fields during the 17th century to push back against the advance of troops from
King Louis XIV. Yvonne's ancestor then married a Calasienne during
the French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
Her father, Jacques, was the president of the Council of Administration of Biscuitry, while her mother, Marguerite (née Forest), came from a family in
Ardennes, and became the sixth woman in France to obtain a driver's license. She was the granddaughter of Alfred Corneau, industriel de Charleville-Mézières. The Vendroux family spent their summers in the chateau in Notre-Dame de Sept-Fontaines abbey, in the Ardennes.
Her eldest brother, Jacques Vendroux, (born 1897) became deputy and mayor of Calais. Her younger brother, Jean (born 1901) married Madeleine Schallier (1907-2000), fathered seven children, and died in an auto accident in 1956.
Her sister Suzanne Vendroux (February 28 1905 in Calais - 27 December 1980 in
Worthing, England) married Jean Rerolle (July 12 1897 in
Châteauroux
Châteauroux (; ; oc, Chasteurós) is the capital city of the French department of Indre, central France and the second-largest town in the province of Berry, after Bourges. Its residents are called ''Castelroussins'' () in French.
Climate
...
- 23 March 1978,
Neuilly-sur-Seine) on 5 March 1934 in
Fagnon. They had two children, Jacques-Henri (21 January 1935, 17th arrondissement, Paris) and Marguerite-Marie.
Education
Yvonne's parents provided her with a strict education in keeping with their elevated social status and the nature of the era.
She learned to read at home and studied with the
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers ( la, Ordo Praedicatorum) abbreviated OP, also known as the Dominicans, is a Catholic mendicant order of Pontifical Right for men founded in Toulouse, France, by the Spanish priest, saint and mystic Dominic of ...
of
Asnières-sur-Seine
Asnières-sur-Seine () is a commune in the Hauts-de-Seine department and Île-de-France region of north-central France. It lies on the left bank of the river Seine, some eight kilometres from the centre of Paris in the north-western suburbs of ...
(later moving to
Périgueux
Périgueux (, ; oc, Peireguers or ) is a commune in the Dordogne department, in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France.
Périgueux is the prefecture of Dordogne, and the capital city of Périgord. It is al ...
), and was encouraged, as many girls were at the time, to become proficient in needlework. Children were encouraged to use the
vousvoyer with their elders, and during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, went with their governesses to
Canterbury, England, not returning to their parents in France until the end of the year. They were later settled in
Wissant, a seaside community in Calais along the
English Channel
The English Channel, "The Sleeve"; nrf, la Maunche, "The Sleeve" (Cotentinais) or ( Jèrriais), (Guernésiais), "The Channel"; br, Mor Breizh, "Sea of Brittany"; cy, Môr Udd, "Lord's Sea"; kw, Mor Bretannek, "British Sea"; nl, Het Kana ...
.
Marriage to Charles de Gaulle
Yvonne met Charles de Gaulle in 1920, then a military captain returning from a mission in
Poland
Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
. It was secretly arranged by the Vendroux family.
Their first date was to the
Grand Palais during the fall exhibition to see the painting ''The Woman in Blue'' by
Kees van Dongen
Cornelis Theodorus Maria "Kees" van Dongen (26 January 1877 – 28 May 1968) was a Dutch-French painter who was one of the leading Fauves. Van Dongen's early work was influenced by the Hague School and symbolism and it evolved gradually into a r ...
. At a tea shortly after, Charles spilled his cup on young Yvonne's dress. Nonplussed, she laughed, and they continued courting.
Charles invited Yvonne to a
Saint-Cyr military ball at the
Hotel des Réservoirs, in
Versailles
The Palace of Versailles ( ; french: Château de Versailles ) is a former royal residence built by King Louis XIV located in Versailles, about west of Paris, France. The palace is owned by the French Republic and since 1995 has been managed, ...
, in support of the institution where he had studied from 1912-1918. Two days later, Yvonne declared to her parents, "It will be him, or no one."
They were engaged on 11 November, before the end of Captain de Gaulle's leave, and married on 7 April 1921, in the Notre-Dame de Calais church. De Gaulle played on Yvonne's family business when he expressed his joy on the occasion, writing to a friend, "I am marrying the biscuits of Vendroux."
They honeymooned in
Northern Italy, and went on to have three children, a boy and two girls:
*
Philippe de Gaulle, (born 28 December 1921)
* Élisabeth de Gaulle, (married in
Boissieu) (15 May 1924 - 2 April 2013)
*
Anne de Gaulle (1 January 1928 - 6 February 1948) (died of
bronchial pneumonia)
War years
In 1934, the family maintained the "Brasserie," property and renamed it "la Boisserie," at
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises
Colombey-les-Deux-Églises (, literally ''Colombey the Two Churches'') is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France. It is best known as the home of Charles de Gaulle.
The municipality of Colombey-les-Deux-Églises was cre ...
.
A passionate
horticulturist
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
, Yvonne de Gaulle treated the garden as her domain.
The high-walled surroundings were initially intended to protect their daughter Anne, who was afflicted with
Down syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual dis ...
, from the indiscretion of the public. When Anne passed away in 1948 the family founded The Anne de-Gaulle Foundation in her memory at the château de Vert-Cœur, at
Milon-la-Chapelle, directed by future French president
Georges Pompidou
Georges Jean Raymond Pompidou ( , ; 5 July 19112 April 1974) was a French politician who served as President of France from 1969 until his death in 1974. He previously was Prime Minister of France of President Charles de Gaulle from 1962 to 196 ...
. Pompidou would subsequently become a close friend to the de Gaulles.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, Philippe joined the
Free French Naval Forces
The Free French Naval Forces (french: Forces Navales Françaises Libres, or FNFL) were the naval arm of the Free French Forces during the Second World War. They were commanded by Admiral Émile Muselier.
History
In the wake of the Armistice a ...
(FNFL), while Yvonne de Gaulle and her husband went to London. General de Gaulle had initially advised her to go south with the children. She managed to make it to London by way of a Dutch ferry to
Brest
Brest may refer to:
Places
*Brest, Belarus
**Brest Region
**Brest Airport
**Brest Fortress
* Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria
* Břest, Czech Republic
*Brest, France
** Arrondissement of Brest
**Brest Bretagne Airport
** Château de Brest
*Br ...
, then
Falmouth. It was the last ship leaving the port.
There they made the acquaintance of Prime Minister
Winston Churchill
Sir Winston Leonard Spencer Churchill (30 November 187424 January 1965) was a British statesman, soldier, and writer who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice, from 1940 to 1945 during the Second World War, and again from ...
, who provided updates of their daily life until they were able to return home.
Spouse of the President
Yvonne de Gaulle became the unofficial ''First Lady'' of France on 21 December 1958 when then-General de Gaulle was elected
President of the French Republic
The president of France, officially the president of the French Republic (french: Président de la République française), is the executive head of state of France, and the commander-in-chief of the French Armed Forces. As the presidency is ...
. The couple took a
Citroën to the President's residence,
Elysée Palace. Her couturier was
Jacques Heim. She was tenacious, conservative, but could also be warm.
During her husband's tenure as president from 1959 to 1969, Yvonne de Gaulle led a sterile and measured life. On a typical day, she would enjoy three meals with her husband, reading ''
Le Figaro
''Le Figaro'' () is a French daily morning newspaper founded in 1826. It is headquartered on Boulevard Haussmann in the 9th arrondissement of Paris. The oldest national newspaper in France, ''Le Figaro'' is one of three French newspapers of r ...
'' at breakfast, evening television sessions, and Sunday masses at the palace chapel. She epitomized tradition, moral values, and a deep sense of duty. Her Catholic faith influenced the conservative view of her husband on moral matters; after her arrival at the palace, one of the first things she asked was for a
pietà
The Pietà (; meaning " pity", "compassion") is a subject in Christian art depicting the Virgin Mary cradling the dead body of Jesus after his body was removed from the cross. It is most often found in sculpture. The Pietà is a specific form ...
to be supplied to the
Musée du Louvre
The Louvre ( ), or the Louvre Museum ( ), is the world's most-visited museum, and an historic landmark in Paris, France. It is the home of some of the best-known works of art, including the ''Mona Lisa'' and the ''Venus de Milo''. A central l ...
. Later, when her husband invited actress
Brigitte Bardot
Brigitte Anne-Marie Bardot ( ; ; born 28 September 1934), often referred to by her initials B.B., is a former French actress, singer and model. Famous for portraying sexually emancipated characters with hedonistic lifestyles, she was one of the ...
to their residence, she threatened to refuse her on the grounds that she had been divorced. She went on to intervene against the authorization of
birth control pills.
The couple welcomed
Dwight Eisenhower and the Kennedys during their tenure. In 1961, when the American presidential couple
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
and
Jackie Kennedy
Jacqueline Lee Kennedy Onassis ( ; July 28, 1929 – May 19, 1994) was an American socialite, writer, photographer, and book editor who served as first lady of the United States from 1961 to 1963, as the wife of President John F. Kennedy. A po ...
were invited by General de Gaulle, she took the initiative to forge links with the American
first lady by taking her to visit the childcare school located on Boulevard Brune in the
14th arrondissement. After the
assassination of President Kennedy two years later, Madame de Gaulle invited her to rest and avoid media scrutiny in Paris.
But soon the French family would have their own brush with uncertainty: on 22 August 1962, the de Gaulles were the target an assassination attempt in
Clamart
Clamart () is a commune in the southwestern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the centre of Paris.
The town is divided into two parts, separated by a forest: ''bas Clamart'', the historical centre, and ''petit Clamart'' with urbaniz ...
, organized by
French Air Force Lieutenant-Colonel
Jean Bastien-Thiry
Jean-Marie Bastien-Thiry (; 19 October 1927 – 11 March 1963) was a French Air Force lieutenant-colonel and military air-weaponry engineer. He was the creator of the Nord SS.10/SS.11 missiles. He attempted to assassinate French President ...
. As de Gaulle's black
Citroën DS
The Citroën DS () is a front mid-engined, front-wheel drive executive car manufactured and marketed by Citroën from 1955 to 1975, in fastback/sedan, wagon/estate, and convertible body configurations, across three series of one generation.
...
sped through Petit-Clamart it was met by a barrage of submachine-gun fire. De Gaulle and his entourage, which included his wife, survived the attempt without any casualties or serious injuries while the attempt's perpetrators were subsequently all arrested and put on trial. Bastien-Thiry was convicted of leading the attempt in February 1963 at
Fort d'Ivry, becoming the last person to be executed by firing squad in France.
De Gaulle managed to laugh off the incident without disrespecting police. He was deeply impressed with his wife's stoicism, however, reportedly saying, "You are brave, Yvonne."
During the events of
May 68
Beginning in May 1968, a period of civil unrest occurred throughout France, lasting some seven weeks and punctuated by demonstrations, general strikes, as well as the occupation of universities and factories. At the height of events, which h ...
, Yvonne accompanied her husband during his displacement to
Baden-Baden
Baden-Baden () is a spa town in the states of Germany, state of Baden-Württemberg, south-western Germany, at the north-western border of the Black Forest mountain range on the small river Oos (river), Oos, ten kilometres (six miles) east of the ...
. She opposed the "Communist" uprising and protests.
Retirement and death
Upon Charles' resignation from the presidency in 1969, Yvonne accompanied him on a retirement trip to Ireland, famous for the photos of the couple and the aide-de-camp, General
François Flohic, taken on the beach.
Madame de Gaulle was widowed in 1970 and entered the retirement home of the sisters of the Immaculate Conception in Paris in 1978. She died at the
Val-de-Grâce
The (' or ') was a military hospital located at in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, France. It was closed as a hospital in 2016.
History
The church of the was built by order of Queen Anne of Austria, wife of Louis XIII. After the birth of h ...
hospital in Paris at the age of 79 on 8 November 1979. She was the same age as her husband had been, on the eve of the ninth anniversary of his death.
She was buried at Colombey-les-Deux-Églises alongside her husband and their daughter Anne.
Tributes
* Book Madame de Gaulle (1981), by Marcel Jullian.
* Melun's retirement home is named after Yvonne de Gaulle.
* In front of Notre-Dame de Calais cathedral is a stele, in memory of the marriage of Yvonne Vendroux and Charles de Gaulle, with the mention taken from the latter's book, Memoirs of Hope For you Yvonne, without whom nothing would have been done.
* In 1963, accordionist René Saget released a song, Le tango de Tante Yvonne, which sold 10,000 copies.
* On 9 November 2013, the anniversary of the death of General de Gaulle, a bronze statue by Élisabeth Cibot representing Charles and Yvonne de Gaulle holding hands is inaugurated in Calais. It is inspired by a photo of the presidential couple, on an official visit to the city in 1959.
Sources
* Bertrand Meyer-Stabley, Les Dames de l'Élysée – Celles d'hier et de demain, Librairie Académique Perrin, Paris.
* Anne-Cécile Beaudoin, « Trianon. Le président reçoit comme un prince », parismatch.com, 22 juin 2016.
* « Elisabeth de Gaulle est morte », in lemonde.fr, 5 avril 2013.
* https://www.letelegramme.fr/ig/generales/fait-du-jour/les-heures-bretonnes-de-de-gaulle-18-06-2010-959624.php
* « Yvonne de Gaulle », sur linternaute.com.
* « Yvonne de Gaulle, la discrète surannée », sur liberation.fr.
* Dominique Jamet, « Il y a cent ans : Félix Faure »(Archive • Wikiwix • Archive.is • Google • Que faire ?) (consulté le 18 mai 2017), Marianne, 2 février 1998, sur Marianne.
* Éric Roussel, Charles de Gaulle, éd. Gallimard, Paris, 2002, 1032 p. ( et 978-2070752416), p. 851-852.
* Jean-Marie Guénois, « De Gaulle, foi de Général », Le Figaro, encart « Le Figaro et vous », samedi 17 / dimanche 18 juin 2017, page 42.
* Le 24 mars 1959 dans le ciel : Orly accueille le baptême de la Caravelle « Lorraine ».
* « Lancé par le Général de Gaulle », sur linternaute.com.
* Les Présidents de la République Pour les Nuls, First Éditions, 2011 (lire en ligne), p. 205.
Bibliography
* Jean Lacouture, Charles de Gaulle – Le souverain 1959-1970, t. III, éd. du Seuil, 1986 (), p. 279-282.
* Max Gallo, De Gaulle, tome IV, La Statue du commandeur, éd. Robert Laffont, Paris, 1998 () ; rééd. Pocket, Paris, 2006, p. 29.
* « Une statue de Charles et Yvonne de Gaulle à Calais », Le Figaro, encart « Le Figaro et vous », mardi 22 octobre 2013, page 34.
* Geneviève Moll, Yvonne de Gaulle : l'inattendue, éd. Ramsay, 1999 ().
* Florence d'Harcourt, Tante Yvonne : une femme d'officier, éd. Éditeur Indépendant, 2007 ().
* Émilie Aubry et Muriel Pleynet, Pas de deux à l'Élysée, éd. Héloïse d'Ormesson, 2006 () (notice BnF no FRBNF40197814).
* Alain Peyrefitte, C'était de Gaulle, éd. Gallimard, 2002 ().
* Bertrand Meyer-Stabley, Les Dames de l'Élysée : celles d'hier et de demain, Librairie Académique Perrin, Paris.
* Frédérique Neau-Dufour, Yvonne de Gaulle, éd. Fayard, 2010, 590 p.
* Henry Gidel, Les de Gaulle : elle et lui, Flammarion, 2018.
* Gérard Bardy, Les Femmes du Général, Plon, 2018.
* Caroline Pigozzi et Philippe Goulliaud, Les Photos insolites de Charles de Gaulle, éd. Gründ / Plon, 2019.
* Christine Kerdellant, De Gaulle et les femmes, Robert Laffont, 2020.
References
, -
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gaulle, Yvonne de
1900 births
1979 deaths
People from Calais
Spouses of French presidents
Spouses of prime ministers of France
Yvonne
Yvonne is a female given name. It is the feminine form of Yvon, which is derived from the French name Yves and Yvette. It is from the French word ''iv'', meaning "yew" (or tree). Since yew wood was used for bows, Ivo may have been an occupati ...
Content in this edit is translated from the existing French Wikipedia article at
:fr:Yvonne de Gaulle; see its history for attribution.