Yvonne de Gaulle

Yvonne de Gaulle
Yvonne in 1968
Spouse of the President of France
In role
8 January 1959 – 28 April 1969
PresidentCharles de Gaulle
Preceded byGermaine Coty (1955)
Succeeded byClaude Pompidou
Personal details
Born
Yvonne Charlotte Anne Marie Vendroux

(1900-05-22)22 May 1900
Calais, France
Died8 November 1979(1979-11-08) (aged 79)
Paris, France
Spouse
(m. 1921; died 1970)
Children

Yvonne Charlotte Anne-Marie de Gaulle (née Vendroux; 22 May 1900 – 8 November 1979) was the wife of Charles de Gaulle. The couple had three children: Philippe (1921–2024), Élisabeth (1924–2013), and Anne (1928–1948), who was born with Down syndrome. Yvonne de Gaulle, along with her husband, set up a charity, La fondation Anne-de-Gaulle, to help children with disabilities.

Yvonne and Charles were married on 6 April 1921.[1] She is known for the quote, "The presidency is temporary—but the family is permanent."[2] She and her husband narrowly escaped an assassination attempt on 22 August 1962, when their Citroën DS was targeted by machine gun fire arranged by Jean Bastien-Thiry at the Petit-Clamart.[3]

Like her husband, Yvonne de Gaulle was a conservative Catholic, and campaigned against prostitution, the sale of pornography in newsstands, and the televised display of nudity and sex, which was echoed in her famous nickname, Tante Yvonne (“Auntie Yvonne”).[4] Later, she unsuccessfully tried to persuade de Gaulle to outlaw miniskirts in France.[citation needed]

Yvonne was reputed to be very discreet; as such, despite numerous appearances, she never gave any radio or televised interviews, and the broader public never learned the sound of her voice.

  1. ^ Prial, Frank J. (9 November 1979). "Yvonne de Gaulle, Widow of French Leader, Dead". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 August 2018.
  2. ^ Young, David (2012). Breakthrough Power for Leaders: A Daily Guide to an Extraordinary Life. David Young. p. 142.
  3. ^ Newton, Michael (2014). Famous Assassinations in World History: An Encyclopedia [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. p. 174. ISBN 9781610692861.
  4. ^ According to journalist Roland Lassus, the nickname comes from a conversation he had with her niece Claude Legrand-Vendroux, during which she mentioned receiving mail from “auntie Yvonne”. He published the story in France-Soir, and this stuck as a nickname. Lassus, Roland (1990). Le Mari de madame de Gaulle (in French). Paris: JC Lattès. p. 21. ISBN 2-7096-0860-X.

© MMXXIII Rich X Search. We shall prevail. All rights reserved. Rich X Search