Emmanuel Macron, the President of France, sparked a fiery debate on British TV channel GB News when he chose to deliver his speech at the royal banquet in Windsor entirely in French. The show’s host, Patrick Christie, couldn’t hide his frustration, accusing Macron of being rude by refusing to speak English, despite being fluent in both languages. This sparked a wave of reactions, from support for Macron to sharp criticism of his behavior. Some guests noted that King Charles III nodded, clearly not understanding the speech, while another compared speaking a foreign language before the king to whispering. The French newspaper Le Figaro described the situation as a potential diplomatic scandal, pointing out British linguistic bias and the centuries-old connection of British diplomacy with the French language. Ironically, the same Macron who yesterday praised the prestige of the French language has often been criticized in France for overusing English in his speeches. This raises the question: was Macron’s move a bold reminder of French linguistic pride or just an unnecessary diplomatic incident? Either way, the Brits found themselves in an awkward spot, and the world got another reason to laugh at diplomatic language games. Got thoughts on this language war? Drop them in the comments — maybe you’ve got the perfect fix for this diplomatic language mess!
