At a time when the French presidency offered many material privileges, he deliberately chose to strictly separate personal expenses from those of the State. Electricity, telephone, stamps, family meals — everything was paid out of his own pocket. De Gaulle even had a separate electricity meter installed for his private apartments in the presidential palace so that his consumption would not be charged to public finances. His wife, Yvonne, shared this sense of duty: she made sure to pay household expenses herself, down to cleaning products. When he invited his children and grandchildren to lunch at the Élysée Palace, the General insisted on paying the bill himself. He never accepted his presidential salary, living solely on his general’s pension. Even in 1969, De Gaulle refused the presidential retirement pension he was entitled to.
One day, the Élysée’s accountant tried to explain to Mrs. de Gaulle that some invoices could be covered by the presidential budget. Yvonne reportedly replied bluntly: “The General pays for what he uses, and so do I. It’s our electricity, not France’s.” She also added: “Sir, anything that is not public is private, and what is private, we pay for ourselves.”
There’s another anecdote, equally useless but rather amusing: [Jacques Tati ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Tati), a film actor and director, was received at the Élysée in 1965 during a ceremony where several artists were invited. As the tall filmmaker stepped forward to greet the president, the aide-de-camp introduced him by saying, “Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle…” Before he could finish, De Gaulle responded, “Congratulations, sir, your nephew must be of great help.” The aide-de-camp then had to whisper that it was actually the title of the film [mon oncle ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mon_Oncle).
BeKey10 on
I love to clown on the french, as most fellow euopeans do.
But i think we all have to admit, that de Gaule was truly a great Statesman.
Alvaritogc2107 on
another day, another De Gaulle based moment
BeginningNeither3318 on
The sense of duty and probity of De Gaulle says a lot about the current main far-right party, the RN, which was founded on an anti-gaullism basis
4 Comments
At a time when the French presidency offered many material privileges, he deliberately chose to strictly separate personal expenses from those of the State. Electricity, telephone, stamps, family meals — everything was paid out of his own pocket. De Gaulle even had a separate electricity meter installed for his private apartments in the presidential palace so that his consumption would not be charged to public finances. His wife, Yvonne, shared this sense of duty: she made sure to pay household expenses herself, down to cleaning products. When he invited his children and grandchildren to lunch at the Élysée Palace, the General insisted on paying the bill himself. He never accepted his presidential salary, living solely on his general’s pension. Even in 1969, De Gaulle refused the presidential retirement pension he was entitled to.
One day, the Élysée’s accountant tried to explain to Mrs. de Gaulle that some invoices could be covered by the presidential budget. Yvonne reportedly replied bluntly: “The General pays for what he uses, and so do I. It’s our electricity, not France’s.” She also added: “Sir, anything that is not public is private, and what is private, we pay for ourselves.”
There’s another anecdote, equally useless but rather amusing: [Jacques Tati ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jacques_Tati), a film actor and director, was received at the Élysée in 1965 during a ceremony where several artists were invited. As the tall filmmaker stepped forward to greet the president, the aide-de-camp introduced him by saying, “Jacques Tati, Mon Oncle…” Before he could finish, De Gaulle responded, “Congratulations, sir, your nephew must be of great help.” The aide-de-camp then had to whisper that it was actually the title of the film [mon oncle ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mon_Oncle).
I love to clown on the french, as most fellow euopeans do.
But i think we all have to admit, that de Gaule was truly a great Statesman.
another day, another De Gaulle based moment
The sense of duty and probity of De Gaulle says a lot about the current main far-right party, the RN, which was founded on an anti-gaullism basis