After Charles de Gaulle was released from a German prisoner camp, the family was waiting for him to return to the "Loire Villa". However, the joy and comfort of family life are not enough to compensate for the missed opportunity. Charles poses for a photo with the three brothers in the courtyard. The four young men were dressed in uniforms and wore crosses on their chests, all with happy expressions. Charles was also wearing the Cross of the highest honor and stood a little further away from the others, a few inches taller than the Xavier beside him. His gaze was grim and he appeared ambitious.
Although the First World War ended, the imperialist countries of Britain, France, the United States, and Japan organized armed intervention in the nascent Soviet Republic. Charles de Gaulle was called to Warsaw to fight the Red Army. He took part in only one battle there and was hired as an instructor at the Polish Military Academy. His task was to teach tactics. He was as serious as ever engaged in teaching, but completely freed from the constraints he was subjected to at home and enjoyed the "free life of Warsaw". For the first two weeks of the month, the salary of an officer allowed him to live a "noble" life. He frequented high-end restaurants, especially the Liewski Hotel, frequented by literati, and was involved in the first class salons of Polish society. He was a frequent visitor to the luxurious city house of Countess Rosse Tishkievics and was known for his elegant French demeanor. He is also often seen feasting on fried flans at the Barlicker café with another Polish noblewoman, the petite and lively Countess Chetwiltenska.
By October 1921, the Polish front was over, and de Gaulle returned to Paris for a vacation. Little did he know that this vacation would be decisive for his personal life. Although he himself did not know anything, the matchmaker had already threaded the needle for him. Mrs. Dankan claimed to be his main medium. She and de Gaulle have known each other since childhood and have always been close to the de Gaulle family. She later moved to Calais and met the Wangdru family, a well-known local biscuit manufacturer. Yvonne, the daughter of the Wangdru family, once refused a marriage proposal from a general's son because the young man was an officer and she did not want to marry a soldier. She would rather raise her children in her hometown than move in a hurry with the army.
One day, Madame Dankan happened to meet Captain de Gaulle for lunch at her mother's house. She suddenly had a wit, thinking that this young officer, who used to joke with him when she was a teenager, is now talented and likable, and is likely to make Yvonne. Wandrew's reservations about military suitors changed. She spoke to Mrs. Wandru about her thoughts, which aroused Madame's curiosity. Therefore, they decided to carefully arrange a "chance encounter" at the "Early Autumn Salon" in Paris. The Wangdru family was scheduled to go there in two weeks. As if by coincidence, the two met at the "Qingqiu Salon". Mrs. Dankan introduced them. After a while, the young men and women of Charles and Yvonne walked ahead of the others. They came to a portrait of Maurice Rosdan, a childhood poet and playwright. Rosdan was one of de Gaulle's favorite poets. So he took the opportunity to show off, showing that he was familiar with Rosdan's poetry and had an amazing memory. De Gaulle recited the poet's verses in large sections, and Yvonne listened fascinated. When Yvonne returned home, she could not hide her joy and confided her affection for the young officer to her mother. She said: "Charles was a nice and lovely young man, he was very knowledgeable and polite, but I thought he might think I was too short. "
After Charles and Yvonne met at the Salon in the early autumn, the woman's Wangdru family invited the Charles de Gaulle family to a tea party. Captain de Gaulle put his military cap, gloves and cane on his knees. When he wanted to put another cup of tea on this pile, he clumsily spilled the tea on Yvonne's clothes. However, Yvonne had fallen in love, and she laughed and relieved the embarrassed soldier. A week later, the couple met again at Versailles. On that day, the Ecole Polytechnique was holding a grand evening there. Yvonne with her brother. My brother came to Paris to participate in fencing. Captain de Gaulle saw them and walked up to her brother Jacques, asking for permission to dance with his sister. After the sixth waltz, Charles proposed to Yvonne, and she agreed.
A few months later, Charles de Gaulle returned from Poland for a holiday. Charmagne and Saint-Saint-Charles de Calais in the church of Notre-Dame de Calais. Between the icons of Louis, the Shire. Charles de Gaulle and Yvonne Wandrew were married on April 7, 1921. During their nearly half century of married life, whether in the difficult years of the anti-fascist war or during de Gaulle's presidency, they always loved each other and always had a deep affection.
The Charles de Gaulle couple ruled the family very strictly, and they were cautious in their words and deeds. They forbade their children to use the name of General de Gaulle for personal gain or to show off, and they taught their descendants to make as few public appearances as possible. Claude Dillon, a French writer who studied the Charles de Gaulle family, said: "De Gaulle's daughter Madame de Boissier or his daughter-in-law Madame de Gaulle have never been seen visiting fashion exhibitions, nor have they ever been seen smiling at the cauliflower and haggling at the market." It was not until de Gaulle's death that his family made their first appearance before the French. They were overwhelmed with grief and left their hands to photojournalists greedily film their grief at the general's grave. "
It was these photojournalists, when General de Gaulle was alive, who tracked the family of the President of the Republic like hard-to-reach prey. They finally cleverly captured Philip's eldest son, 16-year-old Charles Jr., who was in Johnny at the time. Alidayi was accompanied by an open-air seat in a café. Little Charles was soon punished by the president's grandfather. He was summoned to the Elysee Palace for trial. Little Charles stood in front of his grandfather like a criminal, while the general stood motionless behind his desk, like a statue of a knight. He handed the "unseemly photo" to his grandson. And warned him that in the future, he should spend his time on the right path, study diligently, be an honest person, and never be a playboy!
Madame de Gaulle, with her elegant personality, generous manners and gentle manners, developed this style through her education and decades of training beside her generals. People say that she is a good wife and mother, and a typical officer's wife. Although Madame de Gaulle was informal and approachable, she was still awe-inspiring. She was very cautious in the presence of others, and she tried to avoid all possible points of contention, and tried to avoid expressing her opinions, because she did not want to take the risk of having her opinion commented, or even misinterpreted or used against her husband, especially when they did not agree. However, as long as she feels that the atmosphere is more harmonious and trusting, she will talk and laugh, and even have that noble sense of self-deprecation. One night, when a movie was shown in the auditorium, one of the general's aides looked at the naked fairies that adorned the ceiling, making fun of people cleverly covering the fairies with ornaments or streamers. Madame de Gaulle said, "I didn't let me do it!" "
Everyone knew that Madame de Gaulle did not like official life, and in 1965 she deeply regretted that General de Gaulle would again run for the presidency. The Elysee Palace was a "shackle" that she had to put on. Nevertheless, she did not shy away from the duties of a housewife of the Elysee Palace. She does what she is supposed to do, just right, and never goes above and beyond.
She is not the kind of president's wife who calls the shots in big and small things. She asked someone to show her the recipe, prescribed several principles of conservation, and taught her by example. She cares more about people than about things. When there are happy events such as marriage and increasing the population in the homes of the staff of the presidential office, she can't forget to give gifts and congratulations. She is happy to take care of arranging the traditional Christmas tree and hand-selecting Christmas presents. Several wives in the presidential palace who assisted her in this work also received a small gift.
In terms of state events, Madame de Gaulle may have attended less than the wives of previous presidents. She was not used to public curiosity and the presumptuous actions of photojournalists, and she hated the lady who accompanied foreign heads of state on their official visits to France. She always tried to push the prime minister's wife to take on the task. Madame de Gaulle never asked for any special care. When she accompanied her husband on visits to the provinces, she often visited a charity without the attendants knowing. Abroad, this is something that must be arranged by a protocol officer. When she accompanied her husband on a visit to the Soviet Union, when she was asked where she wished to visit, she replied: "It would be better to see an institution for disabled children." But the Soviet foreign affairs officer said that there were no disabled children in the Soviet Union, which she could not have expected!
Madame de Gaulle did not ask the wives of the new ministers to pay a courtesy visit to her, and only when they found the right time and requested it in advance. Such meetings usually take place in the small living room of the ground floor suite. Madame de Gaulle sat on one end of the couch and invited the guests to sit at the other end, and they talked among themselves about the children's affairs, such as home education and schooling. The de Gaulle family's prudent attitude was nothing more than an external manifestation of the humility and selflessness that the de Gaulles demanded of the whole family, and they taught the whole family to hold this attitude, so that prudence became second nature. As soon as General de Gaulle entered the Elysee Palace, he announced to the concierge: "You only need to invite my children and grandchildren to receptions twice a year. "The same applies to hunting outings. Madame de Gaulle added to these provisions by writing an edict to the protocol instructing them not to invite any of her family members to the palace without her permission. If nephews wanted to see General de Gaulle, they had to request it in advance.
Although de Gaulle considered it reasonable for his relatives to enter military or political service, and although he allowed them (except his own children) to run for election, he never favoritism, let alone appointed them to government or presidential office, so that they could receive any advantage in those positions.
Charles de Gaulle's brother-in-law, Jacques Wandrew, was a capable and brilliant member of the National Assembly, despite his experience in two wars, and was only awarded the Knight of the Order of Honor. As for Philippe de Gaulle, when his family went on vacation, he sometimes slept in the Elysee Palace, but only in a very simple bedroom on the third floor. Although his father took him abroad on official visits twice in ten years (Germany and the Soviet Union), it was only as his adjutant, that is, the lowest-ranking official in the delegation. De Gaulle knew that the abuse of power for personal gain not only corrupted the social atmosphere, but was also deeply hated by the people. Therefore, he instructed his children: "Be self-reliant, be a man of integrity, and do not rely on the power of your parents!" "
Outside the Elysee Palace, the president's relatives rarely use their relationship with the president for any advantage. They rarely appear in public, not only to hide from curiosity, but also to avoid people sneaking around and wooing those in power and their families. One day, the wife of an aide to General de Gaulle told Madame de Gaulle that her children were going to the Winter Games organized for Christmas, and Madame de Gaulle told her: "My children and grandchildren would have wanted to go to the Winter Games, but they could not solve the problem of transportation and accommodation." Hearing this, the lady was so excited that she couldn't speak for a while. Claude Dillon, a writer who interviewed the news, said: "The president's wife never wanted to put pressure on the state-owned railroad company or a hotel owner. "
Claude Dylon continued: "There is one more telling thing. In December 1962, British Prime Minister Harold Macmillan came to Rambouillet to try to obtain de Gaulle's consent to join the European Community. Madame de Gaulle accompanied Madame Macmillan on the tour. On Saturday, she took Lady Macmillan to visit Castle d'Pierre. An unpredictable encounter there is the most powerful testimony to her prudence and modesty, to which I mentioned earlier. "
Although the Château de Pierre is a historical monument, it is privately owned by the Duke of Louise. The Duke often received friends in the castle and invited them to hunt yellow deer in his hunting grounds. That Saturday, just in time for him to invite his guests to hunt and set up a luncheon to entertain them. At 11 a.m., Madame de Gaulle and Madame Macmillan arrived at the castle in a DS car, and they parked the car in front of the iron fence. The plainclothes policemen escorting them, like ordinary tourists, went to the gatekeeper's small pavilion to buy tickets. The janitor replied without malice: "Mr. Duke has a guest today, so I refuse to visit!" Madame de Gaulle abandoned her original visit without saying a word. Seeing this, of course, Lady Macmillan no longer insisted on visiting the castle. So the two "first ladies" just wandered around the garden a few times and returned.
At this time, the Duke's guests were having lunch at the castle, and they only saw the figures of two women from the window of the dining room, and they quickly disappeared. The janitor thought about it over and over again, and felt uneasy in his heart. It was not until the afternoon snack that he explained the identities of the two visitors to the Duke's eldest son. Louise was upset when he found out. Because he was recognized as the most hospitable person in the world, and his guests were scaring him into saying that his hopes of tax-free historic buildings had been dashed. This sentence brought his frustration to a head. Of course, this is just a joke. Such thoughts of revenge never crossed Madame de Gaulle's mind, just as she had never thought of breaking into the castle at all costs.
General de Gaulle was always courteous to his wife, as to all other women. Whenever he went out, General de Gaulle waited for his wife to sit down before he sat down, and he waited for her to get into the car. He gave up the right seat to his wife unless they went to an official assembly together. But when he returned to the Elysee Palace, he sat again on the left, believing that the privilege of the head of state ended with the end of the ceremony. Although Madame de Gaulle always addressed her husband as a general in public, de Gaulle always referred to her as "my wife", even in formal toasts. Yvonne liked to be called this way, because first of all "Madame de Gaulle" may be the title of a certain shopkeeper for his wife, and "my wife" contains an affectionate rather noble possession, with an unusual special meaning. They love each other, and no matter how the environment and political situation change, they always stand shoulder to shoulder and share happiness and hardship. As Madame de Gaulle said, the more difficult the environment, the more love support and irrigation are needed for a hero who goes to the soup.
Madame de Gaulle was always secretly concerned about her husband's health, and she secretly gave instructions to the head of caterenia, but these could not be concealed from the general. Once, when he was not poured liquor at the table, he said quite loudly to his neighbor: "Yo, you have liquor, it seems that I am a regulated person!" At a hunting luncheon in Rambouillet, the ladies were not invited, and de Gaulle's neighbor was stunned to see the general filling his plates with such unbridled manners. De Gaulle turned his face and explained to him understandingly: "Here I can do this, my wife is not there, I can eat freely!" "
But sometimes you can also sense that the general's attitude is a little defiant.