Louis de Raguenel
, modified at
2:11 p.m., November 14, 2021
This is a detail that no one has seen and yet it is very meaningful: the French flag has changed color. France still has the same colors, blue-white-red but the blue in question has not been quite the same at the Elysée Palace for a year, reveals Louis de Raguenel, the head of the political service of Europe 1. It is now a navy blue which is displayed on all the buildings attached to the Elysée Palace, the National Assembly, and even Place Beauvau, at the Ministry of the Interior, under the leadership of the prefect François Xavier Lauch, the former chief of staff of Emmanuel Macron who now works for Gérald Darmanin.
One of the symbols of France
Emmanuel Macron touched the symbols of our country without ever talking about them. The decision to change the color of the French flag was taken by the President of the Republic on July 13, 2020, strongly urged by a person little known to the general public, a certain Arnaud Jolens, the director of operations of the Elysee Palace, as well as Bruno Roger-Petit, the president’s memory advisor. But also with a small complicity of the Sailors who made up at the time the particular staff of the Elysee around Admiral Rogel. You should know that the French Navy has always used this navy blue.
Reconnect with an emblem of the French revolution
Why did Emmanuel Macron take this decision? For several reasons, first of all, there are aesthetic reasons, this blue is more elegant but above all, the entourage of the Head of State explains the desire of the President of the Republic to reconnect with the French flag of 1793, the imagination of Year II volunteers and the Convention. Clearly, it’s very political: reconnecting with a symbol of the French revolution.
The Elysee Palace has experienced an internal debate, between those who consider that it has no interest, that this new flag is ugly and that it swears next to the European flag, and others, attached to reviewing the flag of their childhood before the Giscard years. A few weeks before the French presidency of the European Union, next January, everyone swears that this is not an anti-European gesture.
No communication has been made on this change
A little step back is in order. Since the Giscard years and the construction of the European Union, it was decided to use for the French flag, the dark blue of the European flag. There is a real symbolism around this flag: the crown of 12 stars – the 12 apostles of Jesus – a crown of the Virgin Mary, on a Marian blue background. Insofar as the European flag is now affixed almost everywhere next to the French flag, for above all aesthetic reasons, it was therefore decided to use the same Marian blue.
No communication has been made on this color change, no instructions have been given to change or not all the official flags, the Elysee says that the process is an incentive. The entourage of Emmanuel Macron has no desire to give the image of a president who touches the deep symbols of the country, even if basically, as you have understood, there is a meaning behind it all.
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