France–United Kingdom Relations

The historical ties between France and the United Kingdom, and the countries preceding them, are long and complex, including conquest, wars, and alliances at various points in history. The Roman era saw both areas largely conquered by Rome, whose fortifications largely remain in both countries to this day. The Norman conquest of England in 1066, followed by the long domination of the Plantagenet dynasty of French origin, decisively shaped the English language and led to early conflict between the two nations.

Throughout the Middle Ages and into the Early Modern Period, France and England were often bitter rivals, with both nations' monarchs claiming control over France and France routinely allying against England with their other rival Scotland until the Union of the Crowns. The historical rivalry between the two nations was seeded in the Capetian-Plantagenet rivalry over the French holdings of the Plantagenets in France. After the French victory in the Hundred Years' War, England would never again establish a foothold in French territory.

Rivalry continued with many Anglo-French wars. The last major conflict between the two was the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars (1793–1815), in which coalitions of European powers, financed by London, fought a series of wars against the French First Republic, the First French Empire and its client states, culminating in the defeat of Napoleon in 1815. For several decades the peace was uneasy with fear of French invasion in 1859 and during the later rivalry for African colonies. Nevertheless, peace has generally prevailed since Napoleon I, and friendly ties between the two were formally established with the 1904 Entente Cordiale, and the British and French were allied against Germany in both World War I and World War II; in the latter conflict, British armies helped to liberate occupied France from Nazi Germany.

France and the UK were key partners in the West during the Cold War, consistently supporting liberal democracy and capitalism. They were founding members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) defence alliance and are permanent members of the UN Security Council. France has been a member of the European Union (EU), and its predecessors, since creation as the European Economic Community in 1957. In the 1960s, relations deteriorated due to French President Charles de Gaulle's concerns over the special relationship between the UK and the United States. He repeatedly vetoed British entry into the European Communities, the predecessor to the EU, and withdrew France from NATO integrated command, arguing the alliance was too heavily dominated by the United States.

In 1973, following de Gaulle's death, the UK entered the European Communities and in 2009 France returned to an active role in NATO. Since then, the two countries have experienced a close relationship, especially on defence and foreign policy issues; however they disagreed on several other matters, most notably the direction of the European Union. The United Kingdom left the European Union on 31 January 2020, following the referendum held on 23 June 2016, on Brexit. Relations have since deteriorated, with disagreements surrounding Brexit and the English Channel migrant crisis.

In the 21st century, France and Britain, though they have chosen different paths and share many overlooked similarities (with roughly the same population, economic size, commitment to democracy, diplomatic clout, and as heads of former global empires.), are often still referred to as "historic rivals", with a perceived ever-lasting competition. French author José-Alain Fralon characterised the relationship between the countries by describing the British as "our most dear enemies".

It is estimated that about 350,000 French people live in the UK, with approximately 200,000 Britons living in France. Both countries are members of the Council of Europe and NATO.
France is a European Union member and the United Kingdom is a former European Union member.

History

1945–1956

The UK and France became close in the aftermath of World War II, as both feared the Americans would withdraw from Europe leaving them vulnerable to the Soviet Union's expanding communist bloc. The UK was successful in strongly advocating that France be given a zone of occupied Germany. Both states were amongst the five Permanent Members of the new UN Security Council, where they commonly collaborated. However, France was bitter when the United States and Britain refused to share atomic secrets with it. An American operation to use air strikes (including the potential use of tactical nuclear weapons) during the climax of the Battle of Dien Bien Phu in May 1954 was cancelled because of opposition by the British. The upshot was France developed its own nuclear weapons and delivery systems.

The Cold War began in 1947, as the United States, with strong British support, announced the Truman Doctrine to contain Communist expansion and provided military and economic aid to Greece and Turkey. Despite its large pro-Soviet Communist Party, France joined the Allies. The first move was the Franco-British alliance realised in the Dunkirk Treaty in March 1947.

Suez Crisis

In 1956, the Suez Canal, previously owned by an Anglo-French company, was nationalised by the Egyptian government. The British and the French were both strongly committed to taking the canal back by force. President Eisenhower and the Soviet Union demanded there be no invasion and both imposed heavy pressure to reverse the invasion when it came. The relations between Britain and France were not entirely harmonious, as the French did not inform the British about the involvement of Israel until very close to the commencement of military operations. The failure in Suez convinced Paris it needed its own nuclear weapons.

Common Market

Immediately after the Suez crisis Anglo-French relations started to sour again, and only since the last decades of the 20th century have they improved towards the peak they achieved between 1900 and 1940.

Shortly after 1956, France, West Germany, Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg formed what would become the European Economic Community and later the European Union, but rejected British requests for membership. In particular, President Charles de Gaulle's attempts to exclude the British from European affairs during France's early Fifth Republic are now seen by many in Britain as a betrayal of the strong bond between the countries, and Anthony Eden's exclusion of France from the Commonwealth is seen in a similar light in France. The French partly feared that were the British to join the EEC they would attempt to dominate it.

Over the years, the UK and France have often taken diverging courses within the European Community. British policy has favoured an expansion of the Community and free trade while France has advocated a closer political union and restricting membership of the Community to a core of Western European states.

De Gaulle

In 1958, with France mired in a seemingly unwinnable war in Algeria, de Gaulle returned to power in France. He created the Fifth French Republic, ending the post-war parliamentary system and replacing it with a strong Presidency, which became dominated by his followers—the Gaullists. De Gaulle made ambitious changes to French foreign policy—first ending the war in Algeria, and then withdrawing France from the NATO command structure. The latter move was primarily symbolic, but NATO headquarters moved to Brussels and French generals had a much lesser role.

French policy blocking British entry into the European Economic Community (EEC) was primarily motivated by political rather than economic considerations. In 1967, as in 1961–63, de Gaulle was determined to preserve France's dominance within the EEC, which was the foundation of the nation's international stature. His policy was to preserve the Community of Six while barring Britain. Although France succeeded in excluding Britain in the short term, in the longer term the French had to adjust their stance on enlargement in order to retain influence. De Gaulle feared that letting Britain into the European Community would open the way for "Anglo-Saxon" (i.e., US and UK) influence to overwhelm the France-West Germany coalition that was now dominant. On 14 January 1963, de Gaulle announced that France would veto Britain's entry into the Common Market.

Since 1969

When de Gaulle resigned in 1969, a new French government under Georges Pompidou was prepared to open a more friendly dialogue with Britain. He felt that in the economic crises of the 1970s Europe needed Britain. Pompidou welcomed British membership of the EEC, opening the way for the United Kingdom to join it in 1973.

The two countries' relationship was strained significantly in the lead-up to the 2003 War in Iraq. Britain and its American ally strongly advocated the use of force to remove Saddam Hussein, while France (with China, Russia, and other nations) strongly opposed such action, with French President Jacques Chirac threatening to veto any resolution proposed to the UN Security Council. However, despite such differences Chirac and then British Prime Minister Tony Blair maintained a fairly close relationship during their years in office even after the Iraq War started. Both states asserted the importance of the Entente Cordiale alliance, and the role it had played during the 20th century.

Sarkozy presidency

Following his election in 2007, President Nicolas Sarkozy attempted to forge closer relations between France and the United Kingdom: in March 2008, Prime Minister Gordon Brown said that "there has never been greater cooperation between France and Britain as there is now". Sarkozy also urged both countries to "overcome our long-standing rivalries and build together a future that will be stronger because we will be together". He also said "If we want to change Europe my dear British friends—and we Frenchmen do wish to change Europe—we need you inside Europe to help us do so, not standing on the outside." On 26 March 2008, Sarkozy had the privilege of giving a speech to both British Houses of Parliament, where he called for a "brotherhood" between the two countries and stated that "France will never forget Britain's war sacrifice" during World War II.

In March 2008, Sarkozy made a state visit to Britain, promising closer cooperation between the two countries' governments in the future.

Hollande presidency

The final months towards the end of François Hollande's tenure as president saw the UK vote to leave the EU. His response to the result was "I profoundly regret this decision for the United Kingdom and for Europe, but the choice is theirs and we have to respect it."

The then-Economy Minister and current President Emmanuel Macron accused the UK of taking the EU "hostage" with a referendum called to solve a domestic political problem of eurosceptics and that "the failure of the British government as opened upthe possibility of the crumbling of Europe."

In contrast, the vote was welcomed by Eurosceptic political leaders and presidential candidates Marine Le Pen and Nicolas Dupont-Aignan as a victory for "freedom".

Macron presidency

In the aftermath of Brexit, fishing disputes, notably the 2021 Jersey dispute, have caused turbulence in relations between the two countries.

In May 2021, France threatened to cut off electricity to the British Channel Island of Jersey in a fight over post-Brexit fishing rights.

In August 2021, Tensions emerged between the countries after the announcement of the AUKUS agreement between the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

In October 2021, the UK Foreign Office summoned the French ambassador over "threats" made by French officials against Jersey. In November, France threatened to ban UK fishing vessels from French ports.

In November 2021, relations became more stagnant after the French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian claimed that British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is a "populist who uses all elements at his disposal to blame others for problems he faces internally". A few days later, after 27 migrants drowned in the English Channel, Prime Minister Boris Johnson tweeted a letter that was sent to French President Emmanuel Macron which had irritated him due to the letter being made public on Twitter. The French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin cancelled a proposed meeting with British Home Secretary Priti Patel over the migrant crossings due to the row over the letter.

On 6 March 2022, French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin urged Britain to do more to assist Ukrainian refugees trapped in the French port of Calais, claiming that British officials were turning them away owing to a lack of permits or papers.

On 25 August 2022, Liz Truss, the expected candidate for Prime Minister from the Conservative Party was asked if she sees Macron as a friend or a rival. Truss hesitated and replied that "The jury's out. But if I become prime minister, I'll judge him on deeds, not words".
This answer brought a sharp reaction on behalf of the Labour Party when David Lammy, who serves as the party's foreign affairs spokesman, said in response that "the fact that she chose to unnecessarily insult one of our closest allies shows a lack of judgement, and that lack of capacity is a terrible and worrying thing." Macron himself responded that "the British people, Britain itself, are a friendly, strong nation and our ally, regardless of the identity of its leaders, and sometimes despite its leaders or the small mistakes they make in their attempt to impress the audience". He added: "If we, France and Britain, are unable to say whether we are friends or enemies - and the term is not neutral - then we are on the way to serious problems. If I were to be asked this question, I would not hesitate for a second - Britain is France's friend."

A bilateral summit in March 2023 between President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak marked a shift towards collaboration on energy, migration, and security.

The election of Prime Minister Keir Starmer in 2024 further strengthened ties, with both governments issuing a joint statement reaffirming commitments to European security and climate action.

Symbolic events, such as King Charles III's 2023 state visit to France have further reinforced bilateral ties.

Defence cooperation

The two nations have a post WWII record of working together on international security measures, as was seen in the Suez Crisis and Falklands War. In her 2020 book, Johns Hopkins University SAIS political scientist Alice Pannier writes that there is a growing "special relationship" between France and the UK in terms of defence cooperation.

On 2 November 2010, France and the UK signed two defence co-operation treaties. They provide for the sharing of aircraft carriers, a 10,000-strong joint reaction force, a common nuclear simulation centre in France, a common nuclear research centre in the UK, sharing air-refuelling tankers and joint training.

Their post-colonial entanglements have given them a more outward focus than the other countries of Europe, leading them to work together on issues such as the Libyan Civil War.

Commerce

France is the United Kingdom's third-biggest export market after the United States and Germany. Exports to France rose 14.3% from £16.542 billion in 2010 to £18.905 billion in 2011, overtaking exports to the Netherlands. Over the same period, French exports to Britain rose 5.5% from £18.133 billion to £19.138 billion.

The British Foreign & Commonwealth Office estimates that 19.3 million British citizens, roughly a third of the entire population, visit France each year. In 2018, they reported 13 million trips. In 2012, the French were the biggest visitors to the UK (12%, 3,787,000) and the second-biggest tourist spenders in Britain (8%, £1.513 billion).

Education

The Entente Cordiale Scholarship scheme is a selective Franco-British scholarship scheme which was announced on 30 October 1995 by British Prime Minister John Major and French President Jacques Chirac at an Anglo-French summit in London.

It provides funding for British and French students to study for one academic year on the other side of the Channel. The scheme is administered by the French embassy in London for British students, and by the British Council in France and the UK embassy in Paris for French students. Funding is provided by the private sector and foundations.
The scheme aims to favour mutual understanding and to promote exchanges between the British and French leaders of tomorrow.

The programme was initiated by Sir Christopher Mallaby, British ambassador to France between 1993 and 1996.

The sciences

The Concorde supersonic commercial aircraft was developed under an international treaty between the UK and France in 1962, and commenced flying in 1969. It was a technological success but a financial disaster and was closed down after a runway crash in 2000 and fully ended flights in 2003.

Cultural relations

Over the centuries, French and British art and culture have been heavily influenced by each other. During the 19th century, numerous French artists moved to the United Kingdom, which many of them settling in London. These artists included Charles-François Daubigny, Claude Monet, Camille Pissarro, James Tissot and Alfred Sisley. This exodus would prove to have a significant influence on the development of impressionism in Britain.

Sexual euphemisms with no link to France, such as '' French kissing'', or ''French letter'' for a condom, are used in British English slang. While in French slang, the term ''le vice anglais'' refers to either BDSM or homosexuality. French classical music has always been popular in Britain. British popular music is in turn popular in France. English literature, in particular the works of Agatha Christie and William Shakespeare, has been immensely popular in France. French artist Eugène Delacroix based many of his paintings on scenes from Shakespeare's plays. In turn, French writers such as Molière, Voltaire and Victor Hugo have been translated numerous times into English. In general, most of the more popular books in either language are translated into the other. The same can be applied for adaptations of said books; some of which have achieved considerable critical and commercial success in both territories. For example, the West End production of the musical adaptation of Hugo’s novel, ''Les Misérables'' premiered in 1985 and is still running to this very day.

Language

The first foreign language most commonly taught in schools in Britain is French, and the first foreign language most commonly taught in schools in France is English; those are also the languages perceived as "most useful to learn" in both countries. Queen Elizabeth II of the UK was fluent in French and did not require an interpreter when travelling to French-language countries. French is a substantial minority language and immigrant language in the United Kingdom, with over 100,000 French-born people in the UK. According to a 2006 European Commission report, 23% of UK residents are able to carry on a conversation in French and 39% of French residents are able to carry on a conversation in English. French is also an official language in both Jersey and Guernsey. Both use French to some degree, mostly in an administrative or ceremonial capacity. Jersey Legal French is the standardised variety used in Jersey. However, Norman (in its local forms, Guernésiais and Jèrriais) is the historical vernacular of the islands.

Both languages have influenced each other throughout the years. According to different sources, more than 50% of all English words have a French origin, and today many French expressions have entered the English language as well. The term Franglais, a portmanteau combining the French words "''français''" and "''anglais''", refers to the combination of French and English (mostly in the UK) or the use of English words and nouns of Anglo-Saxon roots in French (in France).

Modern and Middle English reflect a mixture of Oïl and Old English lexicons after the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, when a Norman-speaking aristocracy took control of a population whose mother tongue was Germanic in origin. Due to the intertwined histories of England and continental possessions of the English Crown, many formal and legal words in Modern English have French roots. For example, ''buy'' and ''sell'' are of Germanic origin, while ''purchase'' and ''vend'' are from Old French.

Sports

In the sport of rugby union there is a Le Crunch, rivalry between England and France. Both countries compete in the Six Nations Championship and the Rugby World Cup. England has the edge in both tournaments, having the most outright wins in the Six Nations (and its previous version the Five Nations), and most recently knocking the French team out of the 2003 and 2007 World Cups at the semi-final stage, although France knocked England out of the 2011 Rugby World Cup with a convincing score in their quarter final match. Though rugby is originally a British sport, French rugby has developed to such an extent that the English and French teams are now stiff competitors, with neither side greatly superior to the other. While English influences spread rugby union at an early stage to Scotland, Wales and Ireland, as well as the Commonwealth realms, French influence spread the sport outside the commonwealth, to Italy, Argentina, Romania and Georgia.

The influence of French players and coaches on British football has been increasing in recent years and is often cited as an example of Anglo-French cooperation. In particular the Premier League club Arsenal has become known for its Anglo-French connection due to a heavy influx of French players since the advent of French manager Arsène Wenger in 1996. In March 2008 their Emirates stadium was chosen as the venue for a meeting during a state visit by the French President precisely for this reason.

Many people blamed the then French President Jacques Chirac for contributing to Paris' loss to London in its bid for the 2012 Summer Olympics after he made derogatory remarks about British cuisine and saying that "only Finnish food is worse". The IOC committee which would ultimately decide to give the games to London (by four votes) had two members from Finland.

Transport

Ferries

The busiest seaway in the world, the English Channel, connects ports in Great Britain such as Dover, Newhaven, Poole, Weymouth, Portsmouth and Plymouth to ports such as Roscoff, Calais, Boulogne, Dunkerque, Dieppe, Cherbourg-Octeville, St Malo and Le Havre in mainland France. Companies such as Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries, DFDS Seaways and LD Lines operate ferry services across the Channel.

In addition, there are ferries across the Anguilla Channel between Blowing Point, Anguilla (a British Overseas Territory) and Marigot, Saint Martin (an overseas collectivity of France).

Channel Tunnel

The Channel Tunnel (; also referred to as the Chunnel) is a 50.5-kilometre (31.4 mi) undersea rail tunnel (linking Folkestone, Kent, in the United Kingdom with Coquelles, Pas-de-Calais, near the city of Calais in northern France) beneath the English Channel at the Strait of Dover. Ideas for a cross-Channel fixed link appeared as early as 1802,Whiteside p. 17 but British political and press pressure over compromised national security stalled attempts to construct a tunnel.Wilson pp. 14–21 The eventual successful project, organised by Eurotunnel, began construction in 1988 and was opened by British Queen Elizabeth II and French President François Mitterrand in a ceremony held in Calais on 6 May 1994. The same year the American Society of Civil Engineers elected the Channel Tunnel as one of the seven modern Wonders of the World.

Flights

11,675,910 passengers in 2008 travelled on flights between the United Kingdom and France.

Twin cities and towns

France has the most twin cities and towns in the United Kingdom.

* Aberdeen and Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, Hampshire and Redon, Ille-et-Vilaine
* Angmering, West Sussex and Ouistreham, Calvados
* Anstruther, Fife and Bapaume, Pas-de-Calais
* Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire and Bourg-en-Bresse, Ain
* Aylsham, Norfolk and La Chaussée-Saint-Victor, Loir-et-Cher
* Barnet, London and Le Raincy, Seine-Saint-Denis
* Barrow upon Soar, Leicestershire and Marans, Charente-Maritime
* Basildon, Essex and Meaux, Seine-et-Marne
* Basingstoke, Hampshire and Alençon, Orne, Somerset and Aix-en-Provence, Bouches-du-Rhône
* Beaminster, Dorset and Saint-James, Manche
* Beccles, Suffolk and Petit-Couronne, Seine-Maritime
* Birmingham, West Midlands and Lyon, Metropolitan Lyon
* Blandford Forum, Dorset and Mortain, Manche
* Bolton, Greater Manchester and Le Mans, Sarthe
* Bourne, Lincolnshire and Doudeville, Seine-Maritime
* Bridport, Dorset and Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, Manche
* Bristol, City of Bristol and Bordeaux, Gironde
* Bury, Greater Manchester and Angoulême, Charente
* Camberley, Surrey and Sucy-en-Brie, Val-de-Marne
* Canterbury, Kent and Reims, Marne
* Cardiff and Nantes, Loire-Atlantique
* Chelmsford, Essex and Annonay, Ardèche
* Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and Annecy, Haute-Savoie
* Chester, Cheshire and Sens, Yonne
* Chichester, West Sussex and Chartres, Eure-et-Loir
* Chippenham, Wiltshire and La Flèche, Sarthe
* Chipping Ongar, Essex and Cerizay, Deux-Sèvres
* Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch, Dorset and Saint-Lô, Manche
* Cockermouth, Cumbria and Marvejols, Lozère
* Coleraine and La Roche Sur Yon
* Colchester, Essex and Avignon, Vaucluse
* Congleton, Cheshire and Trappes, Yvelines
* Cowbridge, Vale of Glamorgan and Clisson, Pays de la Loire
* Cowes, Isle of Wight and Deauville, Calvados
* Crewe, Cheshire and Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire
* Devizes, Wiltshire and Mayenne, Pays de la Loire
* Dorchester, Dorset, Dorchester, Dorset and Bayeux, Calvados
* Dover, Kent and Calais, Pas-de-Calais
* Droylsden, Tameside and Villemomble, Seine-Saint-Denis
* Dukinfield, Cheshire and Champagnole, Jura (department), Jura
* Dundee and Orléans, Loiret
* London Borough of Ealing, Ealing, London and Marcq-en-Barœul, Nord (French department), Nord
* East Preston, West Sussex, East Preston, West Sussex and Brou, Eure-et-Loir, Brou, Eure-et-Loir
* Edinburgh and Nice, Alpes-Maritimes
* Borough of Elmbridge, Elmbridge, Surrey and Rueil-Malmaison, Hauts-de-Seine
* Epsom and Ewell, Epsom, Surrey and Chantilly, Oise, Chantilly, Oise
* Exeter, Devon and Rennes, Ille-et-Vilaine
* Exmouth, Devon and Dinan, Côtes-d'Armor
* Fareham, Hampshire, and Vannes, Morbihan
* Ferndown, Dorset and Segré, Maine-et-Loire
* Farnborough, Hampshire, Farnborough, Hampshire and Meudon, Hauts-de-Seine
* Folkestone, Kent, Folkestone, Kent and Boulogne-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais
* Glasgow and Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône
* Gloucester, Gloucestershire and Metz, Moselle (department), Moselle
* Godalming, Surrey and Joigny, Yonne
* Hailsham, East Sussex and Gournay-en-Bray, Seine-Maritime
* Hammersmith and Fulham, London and Boulogne-Billancourt, Hauts-de-Seine
* Harrogate, Yorkshire and Luchon, Haute-Garonne
* Harrold, Bedfordshire, Harrold, Bedfordshire and Sainte-Pazanne, Loire-Atlantique
* London Borough of Harrow, Harrow, London and Douai, Nord (French department), Nord
* Hastings, East Sussex and Béthune, Pas-de-Calais
* London Borough of Havering, Havering, London and Hesdin, Pas-de-Calais
* Hereford, Herefordshire and Vierzon, Cher (department), Cher
* Herne Bay, Kent, Herne Bay, Kent and Wimereux, Pas-de-Calais
* London Borough of Hillingdon, Hillingdon, London and Mantes-la-Jolie, Yvelines
* Hitchin, Hertfordshire and Nuits-Saint-Georges, Côte-d'Or
* Horsham, West Sussex and Saint-Maixent-l'Ecole, Deux-Sèvres
* London Borough of Hounslow, Hounslow, London and Issy-les-Moulineaux, Hauts-de-Seine
* Inverness and Saint-Valery-en-Caux, Seine-Maritime
* Ipswich, Suffolk and Arras, Pas-de-Calais
* Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Kensington and Chelsea, London and Cannes, Alpes-Maritimes
* Leeds, Yorkshire and Lille, Nord (French department), Nord
* Leicester and Strasbourg, Bas-Rhin
* London Borough of Lewisham, Lewisham, London and Antony, Hauts-de-Seine, Antony, Hauts-de-Seine
* Lichfield, Staffordshire and Sainte-Foy-lès-Lyon, Lyon Metropolis
* Littlehampton, West Sussex and Chennevières-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne
* Llandeilo, Carmarthenshire and Le Conquet, Finistère
* Llanelli, Carmarthenshire and Agen, Lot-et-Garonne
* London and Paris (this is not a twinning, since Paris is twinned only with Rome, but they are partner cities)
* Loughborough, Leicestershire and Épinal, Vosges (department), Vosges
* Maidenhead, Berkshire and Saint-Cloud, Hauts-de-Seine
* Maidstone, Kent and Beauvais, Oise
* Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil County Borough, Merthyr Tydfil and Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine, Clichy, Hauts-de-Seine
* Middlesbrough, Yorkshire and Dunkirk, Nord (French department), Nord
* Newcastle upon Tyne and Nancy, France, Nancy, Meurthe-et-Moselle
* Newhaven, East Sussex and La Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin, Loiret
* Northampton, Northamptonshire and Poitiers, Vienne (department), Vienne
* Norwich, Norfolk and Rouen, Seine-Maritime
* Oxford, Oxfordshire and Grenoble, Isère
* Perth, Scotland, Perth and Cognac, France, Cognac, Charente
* Plymouth, Devon and Brest, France, Brest, Finistère
* Portsmouth, Hampshire and Caen, Calvados
* Poole, Dorset and Cherbourg-Octeville
* Preston, Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire and Nîmes, Gard
* Ramsgate, Kent and Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Yvelines
* Reigate and Banstead, Reigate, Surrey and Brunoy, Essonne
* London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, Richmond upon Thames, London and Fontainebleau, Seine-et-Marne
* Rochdale, Greater Manchester and Tourcoing, Nord (French department), Nord
* Rotherham, Yorkshire and Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Saint-Quentin, Aisne
* Royston, Hertfordshire, Royston, Hertfordshire and La Loupe, Eure-et-Loir
* Borough of Runnymede, Surrey and Joinville-le-Pont, Val-de-Marne
* City of Salford, Salford, Greater Manchester and Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme
* Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire and Bry-sur-Marne, Val-de-Marne
* Selby, Yorkshire and Carentan, Manche
* Sherborne, Dorset and Granville, Manche, Granville, Manche
* City of Southampton, Hampshire and Le Havre, Seine-Maritime
* Southborough, Kent, Southborough, Kent and Lambersart, Nord (French department), Nord
* Borough of Spelthorne, Spelthorne, Surrey and Melun, Seine-et-Marne
* St Albans, Hertfordshire and Nevers, Nièvre
* Stalybridge, Tameside and Armentières, Nord (French department), Nord
* Stevenage, Hertfordshire and Autun, Saône-et-Loire
* Stockport, Greater Manchester and Béziers, Hérault
* Sturminster Newton, Dorset and Montebourg, Manche
* City of Sunderland, Sunderland, Tyne & Wear and Saint-Nazaire, Loire-Atlantique
* London Borough of Sutton, Sutton, London and Gagny, Seine-Saint-Denis
* Taunton, Somerset and Lisieux, Calvados
* Truro, Cornwall and Morlaix, Finistère
* Vale of White Horse, Oxfordshire and Colmar, Haut-Rhin
* Verwood, Dorset and Champtoceaux, Maine-et-Loire
* London Borough of Waltham Forest, Waltham Forest, London and Saint-Mandé, Val-de-Marne
* Ware, Hertfordshire, Ware, Hertfordshire and Cormeilles-en-Parisis, Val d'Oise
* Wareham, Dorset, Wareham, Dorset and Conches-en-Ouche, Eure
* Watford, Hertfordshire and Nanterre, Hauts-de-Seine
* Wellington, Shropshire, Wellington, Shropshire and Châtenay-Malabry, Hauts-de-Seine
* Wembury, Devonshire and Locmaria-Plouzané, Finistère
* Wetherby, Yorkshire and Privas, Ardèche
* Weymouth and Portland, Dorset and Louviers, Eure
* Whitstable, Kent and Dainville, Pas-de-Calais
* Wigan, Greater Manchester and Angers, Maine-et-Loire
* Wimborne Minster, Dorset and Valognes, Manche
* Winchester, Hampshire and Laon, Aisne
* Windsor, Berkshire, Windsor, Berkshire and Neuilly-sur-Seine, Hauts-de-Seine
* Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside and Lorient, Morbihan and Gennevilliers, Hauts-de-Seine
* Woking, Surrey and Le Plessis-Robinson, Hauts-de-Seine
* York, Yorkshire and Dijon, Côte-d'Or
There are lists of Town twinning, twinnings (including those to towns in other countries) at List of twin towns and sister cities in France and at List of twin towns and sister cities in the United Kingdom.

Resident diplomatic missions

* France has an embassy in London and a consulate-general in Edinburgh.
* The United Kingdom has an embassy in Paris and consulates in Bordeaux and Marseille and a trade office in Lyon.

File:Ambassade de France Londres.jpg, Embassy of France in London
File:French consulate Edinburgh.jpg, Consulate-General of France in Edinburgh
File:Ambassade Royaume-Uni Paris 1.jpg, Embassy of the United Kingdom in Paris

See also

* Angevin Empire
* Anglo-French War (disambiguation)
* History of French foreign relations
* Auld Alliance, between France and Scotland
* Common Security and Defence Policy
* Embassy of the United Kingdom, Paris
* English claims to the French throne
* Entente cordiale
* Entente Cordiale Scholarships
* Franco-British Union
* French migration to the United Kingdom
* Hundred Years' War
* List of British French
* List of ambassadors from the Kingdom of England to France (up to 1707)
* List of ambassadors of Great Britain to France (from 1707 to 1800).
* List of ambassadors of the United Kingdom to France (since 1800)
* List of Ambassadors of France to the United Kingdom (since 1800)
* Military history of England
* Military history of France
* Perfidious Albion
* Second Hundred Years' War
* SEPECAT Jaguar
* Triple Entente
* 1983 France–United Kingdom Maritime Boundary Convention
* 1996 France–United Kingdom Maritime Delimitation Agreements
* European Union–United Kingdom relations, EU–UK relations
* European Union–NATO relations
* France–UK border
* English Channel migrant crossings (2018–present)

References

Further reading

* Chassaigne, Philippe, and Michael Dockrill, eds. ''Anglo-French Relations 1898-1998: From Fashoda to Jospin'' (Springer, 2001).
* Gibson, Robert. ''The Best of Enemies: Anglo-French Relations Since the Norman Conquest'' (2nd ed. 2011) major scholarly stud
excerpt and text search
* Horne, Alistair, ''Friend or Foe: An Anglo-Saxon History of France'' (Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2005).
* Johnson, Douglas, et al. '' Britain and France: Ten Centuries'' (1980
table of contents
* Tombs, Robert and Isabelle Tombs. ''That Sweet Enemy: Britain and France: The History of a Love-Hate Relationship'' (2008) 1688 to presen
online

To 1918

* Frances Dorothy Acomb, Acomb, Frances Dorothy. ''Anglophobia in France, 1763–1789: an essay in the history of constitutionalism and nationalism'' (Duke UP, 1950).
* Andrew, Christopher, "France and the Making of the Entente Cordiale" ''Historical Journal'' 10#1 (1967), pp 89–105.
* Andrews, Stuart. ''The British periodical press and the French Revolution, 1789–99'' (Macmillan, 2000)
* Baer, Werner. "The Promoting and the Financing of the Suez Canal" ''Business History Review'' (1956) 30#4 pp. 361–38
online
* Baugh, Daniel A. ''The Global Seven Years' War, 1754–1763: Britain and France in a Great Power Contest'' (Longman, 2011)
* Black, Jeremy. ''Natural and Necessary Enemies: Anglo-French Relations in the Eighteenth Century'' (1986).
* Blockley, John Edward. "Cross Channel Reflections: French Perceptions of Britain from Fashoda to the Boer War" (PhD dissertation Queen Mary University of London, 2015)
online
* Brogan, D. W. ''France under the Republic: The Development of Modern France (1870–1939)'' (1941), Scholarly history by a British expert; 764pp
online
* Brown, David. "Palmerston and Anglo–French Relations, 1846–1865." ''Diplomacy and Statecraft'' 17.4 (2006): 675–692.
* Carroll, E. Malcolm. ''French Public Opinion and Foreign Affairs, 1870–1914'' (1931
online
* Cameron-Ash, M. ''Lying for the Admiralty: Captain Cook's Endeavour Voyage'', 2018, Rosenberg Publishing, Sydney,
* Clark, Christopher. ''The sleepwalkers: how Europe went to war in 1914'' (2012)
* François Crouzet, Crouzet, François. ''Britain Ascendant. Comparative Studies in Franco-British Economic History'' (Cambridge UP, 1990).
* Davis, Richard. ''Anglo-French relations before the Second World War: appeasement and crisis'' (Springer, 2001).
* Dickinson, Harry Thomas, ed. ''Britain and the French Revolution, 1789–1815'' (1989).
* Golicz, Roman. "Napoleon III, Lord Palmerston and the Entente Cordiale". ''History Today'' 50#12 (December 2000): 10–17
* Gifford, Prosser and William Roger Louis. ''France and Britain in Africa: Imperial Rivalry and Colonial Rule'' (1971)
* Harris, John R. ''Industrial Espionage and Technology Transfer: Britain and France in the 18th Century'' (Taylor & Francis, 2017).
* Harvey, Robert, ''The War of Wars: The Great European Conflict'' 1793–1815 (Robinson, 2007).
* Horn, David Bayne. ''Great Britain and Europe in the eighteenth century'' (1967) pp 22–85.
* Jacobs, Wilbur R. ''Diplomacy and Indian gifts: Anglo-French rivalry along the Ohio and Northwest frontiers, 1748–1763'' (1950)
* Jones, Colin. ''Britain and Revolutionary France: Conflict, Subversion, and Propaganda'' (1983); 96pp
* Keiger, J.F.V. ''France and the World since 1870'' (2001)
*
* Kennan, George Frost.
The fateful alliance: France, Russia, and the coming of the First World War
' (1984); covers 1890 to 1894.
* Langer, William. ''European Alliances and Alignments 1870–1890'' (1950); advanced diplomatic history
* Langer, William. ''The Diplomacy of Imperialism 1890–1902'' (1950); advanced diplomatic history
* McLynn, Frank, ''1759: The Year Britain Became Master of the World'' (Pimlico, 2005).
* MacMillan, Margaret. '' The War That Ended Peace: The Road to 1914 '' (2014) pp 142–71
online
* Mayne, Richard, Douglas Johnson, and Robert Tombs, eds. ''Cross Channel Currents 100 Years of the Entente Cordiale'' (Routledge: 2004),
* Newman, Gerald. "Anti-French Propaganda and British Liberal Nationalism in the Early Nineteenth Century: Suggestions Toward a General Interpretation." ''Victorian Studies'' (1975): 385–418.
* Otte, T. G. "From 'War-in-Sight' to Nearly War: Anglo–French Relations in the Age of High Imperialism, 1875–1898." ''Diplomacy and Statecraft'' (2006) 17#4 pp: 693–714.
* Parry, Jonathan Philip. "The impact of Napoleon III on British politics, 1851–1880." ''Transactions of the Royal Historical Society'' 11 (2001): 147–175
online
a study in distrust
* Philpott, William James. ''Anglo-French Relations and Strategy on the Western Front 1914–18'' (1996)
* Prete, Roy A. ''Strategy and Command: The Anglo-French Coalition on the Western Front, 1915'' (McGill-Queen's UP, 2021
online review by Michael S. Neiberg
* Reboul, Juliette. ''French Emigration to Great Britain in Response to the French Revolution'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2017).
* Rich, Norman. ''Great Power Diplomacy: 1814–1914'' (1991), comprehensive worldwide survey
* Schmidt, H. D. "The Idea and Slogan of 'Perfidious Albion'" ''Journal of the History of Ideas'' (1953) pp: 604–616. ; on French distrust of "Albion" (i.e. England)
* Schroeder, Paul W. ''The Transformation of European Politics 1763–1848'' (1994) 920pp; advanced history and analysis of major diplomacy
* Seton-Watson, R.W. ''Britain in Europe: 1789–1914'' (1937) detailed survey or foreign policy with much on France
online
* Schuman, Frederick L. ''War and diplomacy in the French Republic; an inquiry into political motivations and the control of foreign policy'' (1931)
* Sharp, Alan, & Stone, Glyn, eds. ''Anglo-French Relations in the Twentieth Century'' (2000)
* Simms, Brendan, ''Three Victories and a Defeat: The Rise and Fall of the First British Empire'' (Penguin Books, 2008), 18th century wars
* Smith, Michael S. ''Tariff reform in France, 1860–1900: the politics of economic interest'' (Cornell UP, 1980).
* Taylor, A.J.P. ''The Struggle for Mastery in Europe 1848–1918'' (1954) 638pp; advanced history and analysis of major diplomacy

Since 1919

* Adamthwaite, Anthony. ''Grandeur and Misery: France's Bid for Power in Europe, 1914–1940'' (Hodder Arnold, 1995).
* Alexander, Martin S. and William J. Philpott. ''Anglo-French Defence Relations Between the Wars'' (2003), 1919–3
excerpt and text search
* Bell, P. M. H. ''France and Britain, 1900–1940: Entente and Estrangement'' (2nd ed. 2014).
** Bell, P. M. H. ''France and Britain, 1940–1994: The Long Separation'' (1997).
* Berthon, Simon. ''Allies at War: The Bitter Rivalry among Churchill, Roosevelt, and de Gaulle'' (2001). 356 pp.
* Robert Boyce (historian), Boyce, Robert, ed. ''French foreign and defence policy, 1918–1940: the decline and fall of a great power'' (Routledge, 2005).
* Brunschwig, Henri. ''Anglophobia and French African Policy'' (Yale UP, 1971).
* Capet, Antoine, ed. ''Britain, France and the Entente Cordiale Since 1904'' (Palgrave Macmillan 2006).
* Chassaigne, Philippe, and Michael Lawrence Dockrill, eds. ''Anglo-French Relations 1898–1998: From Fashoda to Jospin'' (Palgrave, 2002)
* Clarke, Michael. "French and British security: mirror images in a globalized world." ''International Affairs'' 76.4 (2000): 725–740
Online
* Crossley, Ceri, and Ian Small, eds. ''Studies in Anglo French Cultural Relations: Imagining France'' (1988)
* Davis, Richard. ''Anglo-French Relations before the Second World War: Appeasement and Crisis'' (2001)
*
* Funk, Arthur Layton. ''Charles de Gaulle: the crucial years, 1943-1944'' (1959).
* Grayson, Richard S. ''Austen Chamberlain and the Commitment to Europe: British Foreign Policy 1924-1929'' (Routledge, 2014).
* Johnson, Gaynor. "Sir Austen Chamberlain, the Marquess of Crewe and Anglo-French Relations, 1924–1928." ''Contemporary British History'' 25.01 (2011): 49–64
online
* Hucker, Daniel. ''Public opinion and the end of appeasement in Britain and France'' (Routledge, 2016).
* Jennings, Eric T. "Britain and Free France in Africa, 1940–1943." in ''British and French Colonialism in Africa, Asia and the Middle East'' (Palgrave Macmillan, Cham, 2019) pp. 277–296.
* Keiger, J.F.V. ''France and the World since 1870'' (2001)
* Kolodziej, Edward A. ''French International Policy under de Gaulle and Pompidou: The Politics of Grandeur'' (1974)
* Lahav, Pnina. "The Suez Crisis of 1956 and Its Aftermath: A Comparative Study of Constituons, Use of Force, Diplomacy and International Relations." ''Boston University Law Review'' 95 (2015): 1297–135
online
* MacMillan, Margaret, ''Peacemakers: Six Months that Changed the World'' (2003) on Versailles Conference of 191
online
* Maclean, Mairi, and Jean-Marie Trouille, eds. ''France, Germany and Britain: Partners in a Changing World'' (Palgrave Macmillan, 2001).
* Mayne, Richard et al. ''Cross-Channel Currents: 100 Years of the Entente Cordiale'' (2004)
* Nere, J. ''The Foreign Policy of France from 1914 to 1945'' (2002)
* Oye, Kenneth A. "The sterling-dollar-franc triangle: Monetary diplomacy 1929–1937." ''World Politics'' (1985) 38#1 pp: 173–199.
* Pickles, Dorothy. ''The Uneasy Entente. French Foreign Policy and Franco-British Misunderstandings'' (1966).
* Roshwald, Aviel. ''Estranged Bedfellows: Britain and France in the Middle East During the Second World War'' (Oxford UP, 1990).
* Scazzieri, Luigi. "Britain, france, and Mesopotamian oil, 1916–1920." ''Diplomacy & Statecraft'' 26.1 (2015): 25–45.
* Sharp, Alan et al. eds. ''Anglo-French Relations in the Twentieth Century: Rivalry and Cooperation'' (2000
excerpt and text search
* Thomas, Martin. ''Britain, France and Appeasement: Anglo-French Relations in the Popular Front Era'' (1996) * Thomas, R. T. ''Britain and Vichy: The Dilemma of Anglo-French Relations, 1940–42'' (1979)
* Torrent, Melanie. ''Diplomacy and Nation-Building in Africa: Franco-British Relations and Cameroon at the End of Empire'' (I.B. Tauris, 2012) 409 pages
* Troen, S. Ilan. "The Protocol of Sèvres: British/French/Israeli Collusion Against Egypt, 1956." ''Israel Studies'' 1.2 (1996): 122-13
online

* on 1956.
* Webster, Andrew. ''Strange Allies: Britain, France and the Dilemmas of Disarmament and Security, 1929-1933'' (Routledge, 2019).
* Williams, Andrew. ''France, Britain and the United States in the Twentieth Century 1900–1940: A Reappraisal'' (Springer, 2014).
* Zamir, Meir. "De Gaulle and the question of Syria and Lebanon during the Second World War: Part I." ''Middle Eastern Studies'' 43.5 (2007): 675–708.

In French

* Guiffan, Jean. ''Histoire de l'anglophobie en France: de Jeanne d'Arc à la vache folle'' (Terre de brume, 2004)
* Nordmann, Claude. "Anglomanie et Anglophobie en France au XVIIIe siècle'." Revue du Nord 66 (1984) pp: 787–803.
* Serodes, Fabrice
"French – English: 100 Years of “Friendly Disagreement?"
''Europeplusnet'' (2004)
* Serodes, Fabrice. "'Historical use of a caricature. The destiny of the perfidious Albion.", Brussels, VUB, 2009.
* Serodes, Fabrice ''Anglophobie et politique de Fachoda à Mers el-Kebir'' (L Harmattan, 2010)
* Serodes, Fabrice
Brexit: le Royaume-Uni sort, ses idées restent
, ''The Conversation'', 17 January 2017

External links

*

Franco-British Council Links

University of London in Paris (ULIP)

French Embassy in the United Kingdom


British Embassy in France

{{DEFAULTSORT:France-United Kingdom relations
France–United Kingdom relations,
Bilateral relations of France, United Kingdom
Bilateral relations of the United Kingdom
Wikipedia articles in need of updating from April 2025