In 1903, King Edward VII journeyed to Paris. Crowds lining the streets on his arrival made clear that he was not welcome. But he maintained an imperturbable demeanour during the ride to the Elysée palace and for the duration of his 96-hour visit. In The Guns of August, Barbara Tuchman reports that the king charmed the French without let-up. “Everywhere he made gracious and tactful speeches about his friendship and admiration for the French, their ‘glorious traditions’, their ‘beautiful city’, his ‘sincere pleasure’ in his visit, his belief that old misunderstandings are ‘happily over and forgotten’” – and all in perfect French.
When the king left Paris, the crowds this time shouted: “Vive notre roi!” Hard work remained but, less than a year later, the entente cordiale was signed between France and Britain – and the history of the world was reshaped.
In the same city, 126 years earlier, another charmer had his way with the French. Representing a budding American nation that was out of money, without allies and marching backwards, Benjamin Franklin alighted in Paris or, rather, the salons of Paris. He charmed the ladies and became a favourite of the court. Courtesy of a modest American victory against the British at Saratoga and Franklin’s tireless charm offensive, the French became an ally – and the history of the world was changed.