Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel

Who was Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel?

Geoffroy Chodron de Courcel, was a French diplomat. He was Aide-de-camp to General Charles de Gaulle in 1940 and escaped to Britain with the General on 17 June 1940 with the help of General Edward Spears. When de Gaulle established the Free French Forces in London, de Courcel was the first officer to join the movement. In 1941, he became de Gaulle’s principal private secretary and would later command a squadron of the ‘1er régiment de marche de spahis marocains’.

After the war, he returned to the French Foreign Ministry and held a number of important appointments, including that of Ambassador to the United Kingdom from 16 March 1962 until 20 April 1972.