Francois Hollande under watchful eyes in England (VIDEO)
French President Francois Hollande inspects the guard of honor by the Coldstream Guards at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on July 10, 2012 in London, England. This is the French President’s first official visit to the United Kingdom since taking office, during which he will attend meetings with British Prime Minister David Cameron and Queen Elizabeth II.
President Francois Hollande realizes all of France is watching how he measures up against foreign leaders.
They also want to know about his politics.
After the 5-foot-7 Hollande’s first official visit to England this week, comments from France suggested he was trapped into appearing dominated by his hosts.
He shrank next to the bearskin-capped Coldstream Guards during a photo-op in London, a regiment that famously helped defeat Napoleon at Waterloo.
It’s not something his predecessor, Nicolas Sarkozy, would ever fall victim to, said comments from readers viewing the Agence France-Presse photos online.
“I find it ridiculous, not because of (Hollande’s) size, but because he falls easily into the traps that Sarkozy knew how to avoid,” one viewer said, according to The Daily Mail.
Others suggested it was a bad suit that made Hollande look so small, or they simply laughed.
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Hollande is actually trying to conduct business in England, The Independent reminded its readers.
English Prime Minister David Cameron suggested there’s “much common ground” between the two nations.
This comes after he said England could house any French business looking for lower taxes.
“There will always be areas where we don’t agree, but we have found much common ground today, not just about European policy today but also how we develop European policy for Britain and for France in the future,” Cameron said, according to The Independent.
Sarkozy, who is 5-foot-5, was caught many times by the French press wearing heels, standing on platforms, tiptoes or next to others his size in photographs, The Guardian said.
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