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Churchill et Monaco

© Churchill et Monaco

Winston Churchill was the saviour of Europe during the Second World War, and undoubtedly one of the greatest politicians of the 20th century. But this officer, MP, minister, writer, mason, farmer, painter, journalist, Prime Minister, strategist and diplomat was also a great friend of France… And when he was there, he had a favourite place: the Côte d’Azur, in particular the region between Nice and the Italian border, at the centre of which is the Principality of Monaco.

For half a century, between 1913 and 1963, Churchill regularly visited Monaco, Roquebrune, Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat, Nice, Èze and Cap-d’Ail, of which he even became the honorary mayor. Fleeing the thick fog and political turmoil of England, he came to the Côte d’Azur to feel inspired, to paint incomparable landscapes, to play at the casino and to splash around in the sea. He met countless celebrities, such as Greta Garbo, Stavros Niarchos, Paul Reynaud, Somerset Maugham, Konrad Adenauer, the Duke of Windsor, René Coty, Aristotle Onassis and General de Gaulle. Finally, he was a frequent guest of Prince Rainier III and Princess Grace, to whom he remained very attached. And when the old lion gave up politics for good in 1955, Monaco was in every respect the sunshine of his old age.

  • 2002
  • François Kersaudy
  • French