About us
Entente Cordiale's History
Inspired by Davos World Economic Forum’s mission and recognising the excellence of UK and French top-tier academics institution in training international leaders globally, the Entente Cordiale Day aims to become a forum where current students and future leaders meet annually in April to present to today’s global leaders their ideas, recommendations and innovative solutions to tackle the most pressing global challenges.
Maitre Yves-Justice Djimi, Co-Founder of the Entente Cordiale Day Association
Advancing Franco-British Academic Exchange
The Entente Cordiale Day is a Franco-British initiative structured around an annual academic competition and final summit. Each year, students from leading institutions in the United Kingdom and France prepare written research in response to a common theme.
Submissions are assessed by a written Jury composed of individuals with academic and professional expertise. On the basis of this assessment, ten teams from each country are selected to advance to the Finals.
At the Final Summit, shortlisted teams present their work orally before a Grand Jury drawn from academia, public policy, and related professional fields. Five teams are awarded the Entente Cordiale Day Prizes, have their reports published, and receive additional distinctions.
Heritage as a Link Between the Past and Future
Under the joint Family Patronage of the Marquis de Breteuil and the Marquess of Salisbury, and the dual Royal and Presidential Patronage of His Majesty The King and the President of the French Republic, the Entente Cordiale Day Prizes reflect a shared heritage spanning more than four centuries, while engaging with contemporary challenges and debates.
It is in this spirit that the Entente Cordiale Day Summit is situated within sites of historic and institutional significance. The 2024–2025 edition of the Entente Cordiale Day Summit, held on 7 and 8 April in the United Kingdom, comprised a series of high-level discussions, presentations, and ceremonies hosted at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the House of Commons, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, the London School of Economics, and Hatfield House.
The 2025–2026 edition of the Entente Cordiale Day Summit will be held in France and will similarly take place at emblematic venues, including the École Militaire, the Hôtel des Invalides, the Panthéon–Sorbonne, and the Château de Breteuil.
Venues
Hatfield House
The current Hatfield House was built in 1611 for Robert Cecil, 1st Earl of Salisbury.
The Royal Palace that formerly stood on the site was the childhood home of King Henry VIII’s children, who would later be crowned as King Edward VI, Queen Mary I and Queen Elizabeth I.
It was in the gardens of Hatfield House, under the Queen Elizabeth’s oak, that Elizabeth I famously heard the news of her accession to the throne in 1558.
The Château de Breteuil
The Chateau de Breteuil has been in the Breteuil family for over 400 years. It has been the favourite French Chateau of the King of England, Edward, VII, King George V and King Edward VIII, were frequent guests of the Chateau de Breteuil as Prince of Wales.
King George V wrote to the Marquis de Breteuil: “ My dear Breteuil, you have known me since I was a child and my Father was so fond of you, that I am indeed most grateful to you for your friendship”