| Statue of Charles de Gaulle | |
|---|---|
 | |
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| Artist | Angela Conner |
| Year | 1993 |
| Location | Carlton Gardens, London |
A bronzestatue of Charles de Gaulle stands inCarlton Gardens in theCity of Westminster, London.Charles de Gaulle, the leader ofFree France, set up hisgovernment in exile at No. 4 Carlton Gardens.[1]
The statue was campaigned for byMary Soames, the daughter of De Gaulle's contemporaryWinston Churchill.[2] It was unveiled byQueen Elizabeth The Queen Mother on 23 June 1993 in the presence ofJacques Chirac, at that time Mayor of Paris, and the President of the National AssemblyPhilippe Séguin,[1] as well as De Gaulle's chauffeur-translatorOlivia Jordan.[3] The architect was Bernard Wiehahn and the sculptorAngela Conner.[4] De Gaulle is portrayed in the uniform of abrigadier-general.[5] The statue is one of 39 in London maintained byEnglish Heritage, the majority of which are in Westminster.[6]
TheFrench Embassy commemorates De Gaulle at the statue annually.[2] ThePresident of France,Emmanuel Macron, laid a wreath on his visit to London on 18 June 2020, the 80th anniversary ofDe Gaulle's resistance speech.[7]
The enthusiastic fundraising for the statue by the British public led to calls for astatue of Churchill to be placed in the French capital, which was unveiled in 1998.[8][9]
Media related toStatue of Charles de Gaulle, London at Wikimedia Commons51°30′20″N0°08′03″W / 51.505666°N 0.134176°W /51.505666; -0.134176
