INFO EUROPE 1 – Philippe de Gaulle, dead at 102, asked to be buried in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises with his wife


Admiral Philippe de Gaulle, eldest son of General de Gaulle, died at the age of 102 in Paris, AFP learned from his family on Wednesday. “He died during the night from Tuesday to Wednesday at the National Institution of Invalides where he had been a resident for two years,” said his son Yves de Gaulle. “Let us salute the memory of a formidable father and a great Frenchman, whose sense of duty was matched only by elegance and modesty. Vision, honor and simplicity, that is ultimately Gaullism.” wrote about X Pierre de Gaulle, another son of the admiral. According to information from Europe 1, he asked to be buried in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises with his wife Henriette.

The Senate opens its doors to him for 15 years

Born on December 28, 1921 in Paris, Philippe de Gaulle, a former student of the Naval Academy, joined the Free French Naval Forces in 1940. He had participated as an ensign in the campaigns in the North Atlantic until 1944, then in the French campaign (1944-45) in the Leclerc division. Lieutenant in 1948, lieutenant captain in 1956, admiral in 1980, he ended his military career two years later.

“Philippe de Gaulle had anticipated his father’s call to join the Resistance. Sailor, admiral, senator, he never missed the meeting of courage and honor. A century of French bravery. To his family, the condolences of the Nation”, greeted the President of the Republic, Emmanuel Macron, on X.

“France at heart to the end: from 1940 in our armies within the Free French Naval Forces, an exemplary military career, then as senator of Paris”, reacted the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, on X. On the same network, the account of the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces for its part praises “the commitment of a lifetime to the service of France”: “The armies bow before the disappearance of Admiral Philippe de Gaulle. From the ardor of the Free French fighter to the finesse of the general officer, his journey will continue to guide generations under arms.”

“A lover of the arts”

Philippe de Gaulle also devoted himself to preserving the memory of his father, making himself “throughout his life and his public commitments the faithful guardian of the moral heritage of the most illustrious of French people and the ardent defender of a certain idea of ​​France”, according to the formula of the president of the Hauts-de-France region, Xavier Bertrand.

The eldest of the three children of the de Gaulle couple was then a senator of Paris between 1986 and 2004 under the label of the RPR, then the UMP. He dedicated himself to preserving the memory of his father, publishing several works on the general, including De Gaulle, my father, a publishing success. For the “dazzled son”, as he said, it was a matter of humanizing his illustrious progenitor, icon during his lifetime, leader of Free France and former President of the Republic, who died in 1970. At the same time, this man who had managed to make a name for himself was also an art enthusiast who created frescoes and paintings for the French Navy, devoted himself to sculpture and illustration, notably numerous advertising posters.

“His life was marked by the strength of commitment, in the service of France. But Philippe de Gaulle was also a lover of the arts and artists, in particular painters and painting which was one of his passions”, recalled the Minister of Culture, Rachida Dati, on X.





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