Maison de France marks 86 years since de Gaulle's London appeal
By Zak Jackson, MonacoViews Editorial
The Maison de France in Monaco held commemorations on Thursday to mark the 86th anniversary of General de Gaulle's 18 June 1940 radio broadcast, the founding act of the French Resistance.
On 18 June 2026, the Maison de France hosted a day of commemorations marking 86 years since Charles de Gaulle delivered his legendary radio appeal from London, calling on French men and women to continue the fight against Nazi Germany following France's military collapse.
The broadcast of 18 June 1940 is widely regarded as the founding act of the French Resistance. Though few heard it live at the time, the speech became one of the defining moments of 20th-century French history and remains a cornerstone of the French national calendar each year.
For the Franco-Monegasque community, the anniversary carries particular resonance given Monaco's own wartime experience under Italian and later German occupation. The Maison de France, which represents French cultural and diplomatic interests in the Principality, has long served as the focal point for events of this kind.