Edward VII's Gift to Diplomacy? 1903 Visit to Paris

4 Edward VII’s Gift to Diplomacy? 1903 Visit to Paris Introduction Edward VII’s most famous and most exhaustively discussed state visit was his trip to Paris, following on from his trip to Italy, which had concluded a Mediterranean cruise in the spring of 1903. Indeed, the extent of the discussions makes it almost tempting to keep the Paris visit to a footnote to the Italy chapter, since there is no need to go over the narrative details of what is already such a well-trodden path in diplomatic histories of the period. However, what these histories do not do is locate this state visit in the framework of the new diplomacy, with its emphasis on the cultural and symbolic significance of such enterprises. In terms of the significance of the visit, Edward has often been popu- larly credited with being the architect of the Entente Cordiale – but, as figures like George Monger point out, he played no part in the initial negotiations that laid the foundations for the Entente. 1 Nor, afterwards, can he be shown to have been particularly interested in the diplomatic niceties of its actual operation. Yet this chapter still insists that his visit was essential to the establishment of the Entente Cordiale, both in the initial achievement and in its maintenance, because of the symbolic importance of his public endorsement of the value of the link between Britain and France. We are often taught to think of a royal tour as being an ornamental addition to the daily duties and achievements of diplomacy. Yet, as this chapter will demonstrate, the negotiations around the Entente Cordiale reveal how Edward VII’s visit was at the very least a 1 George Monger (1976) The End of Isolation. British Foreign Policy 1900–19077 (New York: Greenwood Press). 87 M. Glencross, The State Visits of Edward VII © Matthew Glencross 2015 88 The State Visits of Edward VII catalyst, and possibly even a new chemical, in the reaction between the two countries, at a very critical phase in the sensitive diplomatic land- scape of the time. British/English royals and France before the reign of Edward VII From the sixteenth century at least, France was considered (certainly it considered itself) to be the diplomatic centre of the world. Taking advan- tage of its geographical situation, amongst other things, France and the French language and culture became entrenched in European (and wider) diplomacy as thee language of choice for delicate and sophisticated negotiations – mirroring what the French themselves certainly saw as the advanced sophistication of a French cosmopolitan culture. What better language, and culture, then, to use for the subtle and complex nuances that were central to effective diplomacy? It was in France, also, that the links between diplomacy and monarchy reached their apogee; but they remained powerful until France became permanently a republic.2 During the seventeenth century, the Sun King, Louis XIV, dominated European diplomacy with his masterly manoeuvrings.3 One of the earliest diplomatic adventures undertaken by what was then the English monarchy was the Field of the Cloth of Gold, between 7 and 24 June 1520 – the encounter between Henry VIII of England and Francis I of France.4 Subsequently, as already discussed in the first chapter of this book, one of Queen Victoria’s most significant state visits had been to the court of Napoleon III in 1855. Whether or not that visit amounted to a prototype Entente Cordiale remains open to debate – but it means, certainly, that Edward was following in his mother’s footsteps in undertaking a state visit. The key difference was that, with France now being a republic, there 2 While, as Mattingly points out, modern diplomacy emerged during the Renaissance in Italy, as he also acknowledges, its post-Renaissance centre was France. See Garret Mattingly (2010) Renaissance Diplomacyy (New York: Cosimo Classics), p. 131. See also Keith Hamilton and Richard Langhorne (1994) T he Practice of Diplomacy: Its Evolution, Theory and Administration (London: Routledge), for a discussion of the central role played by France from the sixteenth century on, and the power of the French monarchy up to the republican period. 3 See, for instance, the discussions of how Louis XIV used the resources of Versailles to enhance his diplomatic successes in Robert W. Berger and Thomas F. Hedin (2008) Diplomatic Tours in the Gardens of Versailles under Louis XIV (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania: University of Pennsylvania Press). 4 See Chapter 1. Edward VII’s Gift to Diplomacy? Visit to Paris 89 was no initial British expectation of a return state visit from a French President which would involve public pomp and ceremony. Edward’s visit to Paris, after his successful visit to Italy, changed that. That Edward should be interested in Anglo-French diplomacy is not surprising. Apart from his own personal fondness for France, his mother’s influence must also have had an effect. Probably at least partly because of her fond memories of her trip with Albert to Paris, and also her genuine liking for Eugénie, Queen Victoria had continued to take a keen interest in Anglo-French affairs throughout her reign. As various prime ministers found, Victoria insisted on being the first person to know about any developments in Franco-British relations. Some were more content with this royal interest than others: Lord Salisbury, for example, obligingly sent documentation regarding his government’s policy towards France to her for approval before sending it to his French counterparts. He would often take her detailed opinions into consideration, although it could be argued that this may have been more to do with Salisbury’s established policy of dealing with the Queen, whereby he sought to avoid confron- tation through apparent appeasement.5 However, in his correspondence with the Paris ambassador, Edmund Monson, Salisbury would press the point that all details of his dispatches were to be considered unofficial until they had been approved by the Queen – ‘The issue has not yet been formally approved by the queen’6 – which would suggest that her opinion on the matter was actually considered important, by Salisbury at least. From the correspondence of Queen Victoria that is currently available, it appears that in her last ten years she did not protect her right to have a voice on international relations with any other nation as ferociously as she did with France.7 This included overseeing strategically important treaties, such as that of the pre-Fashoda Nile sovereignty proposal. She insisted on seeing the draft before it could be sent to the French, as Salisbury told Monson: ‘Both drafts have gone to the Queen, and her approval will be telegraphed to you as soon as received.’ 8 Victoria fought hard for a right to be informed in these matters, which she felt were so important 5 Christopher Hibbert (2001) Queen Victoria: A Personal Historyy (London: HarperCollins), p. 374. 6 Oxford Bodleian Library (henceforth BOD) MS. Eng. C. 594/25, Salisbury to Monson, 7 September 1897. 7 See G.E. Buckle (ed.) (1932) Letters of Queen Victoria 1886–1901, 3 vols (London: John Murray). 8 BOD MS. Eng. C. 594/29, Salisbury to Monson, 10 September 1897. 90 The State Visits of Edward VII to her nation’s security. She was so determined to be involved that, as Anglo-French relations worsened with the Fashoda crisis, and shortly afterwards the French outrage at the British actions during the Boer War, Queen Victoria abandoned her policy of using Lord Salisbury as mediator. Instead, she communicated directly (and improperly) with Edmund Monson. Her letters to Monson enquired into all aspects of Anglo-French relations and constantly asked the question whether, if the current situation led to war, there would be a danger of Russian involvement in that conflict. This shows the level of her understanding of the broader ramifications of any Anglo-French skirmish. 9 According to Christopher Hibbert, this activity of writing to Monson was one of her main occupations in her final years. The only one to which she dedi- cated more time was the scrapbook she was compiling of the personal details of those who had died in her service during the Boer War. 10 However, it is difficult to gauge how far Edward VII’s interest in Anglo- French relations was simply a development of an interest first inculcated in him by his mother, when he had accompanied her on the visit to Paris in 1855; or whether it stemmed from a personal (and hedonistic) enjoyment of what France had offered him during his years as heir to the throne. Did he have an inclination to favour France, as many of his biog- raphers have suggested, or were the issues involved more complex and nuanced? 11 As already discussed in the opening chapter, Queen Victoria had involved Edward in his first official gesture towards the nation with which he would forever be associated in popular understandings of him as man and monarch. He had been made to ‘kneel before the tomb of Napoleon’ and pray for his soul.12 As part of the cosmopolitan educa- tion that Albert had impressed on Victoria that their son needed, French had been prominent amongst the European languages he had learned, and the culture he had been invited to appreciate. 13 However, this must not be taken too far. For most of his adult life, thanks to his mother’s opposition to involving him in state affairs until her failing health made it imperative from 1898, Edward had developed and followed his own ideas quite independently of that maternal influence. 9 BOD MS. Eng. C.

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