Theo Rycroft, the British vice-ambassador to France, comes to say goodbye to Montpellier

There are stories of the transmission of values ​​and places written in family memory that the passage of time does not erase. So it is with the story that links the vice-ambassador of the United Kingdom to France, Theo Rycroft, to Montpellier.

Returning to this city on November 15, he wished, before leaving France for the new position awaiting him in London, to greet those with whom he worked together in order to forge ever closer links between his country and the Languedoc capital.

Montpellier: a family story

Theo Rycroft also has close ties with Montpellier personally, and since he was very young through his family history. Originally from Poland, his grandfather came to study medicine in Montpellier in the 1920s, before serving in this city, then in Toulon and, from the 1930s, in England, first at the hospital. French from London, then to the French embassy.

“He was the one who inspired me to become a diplomat. I know that my grandfather would have been very proud that I represented my country abroad, and particularly in France“, says the vice-ambassador. And to imagine the pride that his ancestor would have felt on November 11, 2022, the day of the commemoration of the Armistice, when Theo Rycroft laid a wreath on behalf of his country at the War Memorial, adorned with British flags.

Daily links between Montpellier and the United Kingdom

Whether with Montpellier and, beyond, with France, “we have a long history of partnership, 120 years of cordial understanding, because we are two countries which share the same values ​​and with the same capacity to act in the world. And we are neighbors“, explains the vice-ambassador.

On the economic level, within the framework of MedVallée, which brings together health, food and environment stakeholders, “partnerships have been established with British companies, notably through university links and patent sharing“, specifies Clare Hart, deputy vice-president for international influence and international cooperation at the Métropole.

As far as university exchanges are concerned, it is not new. Oxford and Paul Valéry work hand in hand with Cairo in the discipline of Egyptology. Links with Cambridge are also being established. To create bridges between universities and promote student mobility, the latter have joined the CHARM-EU European University Alliance. And, recently, Montpellier inaugurated its public international education establishment this fall, at the Jules-Guesde high school, including an Anglo-American education course from the 6th grade.^e.

Finally, cultural exchanges are not left out with the work of associations on site, the activities offered within the House of International Relations, or even “Cultural Friendships” where young adolescents from Heidelberg (Germany), Montpellier and from Cambridge meet in one of its cities to do a concert together…

“I hope to return to Montpellier”

So many daily connections that he will miss, the vice-ambassador already knows, before returning to Paris, then the United Kingdom next January for his new assignment. “I really liked being in France. I hope to come back, as well as to Montpellier. It's a city that I love very much, which touches me through my family history, but also more broadly through its history, its light, its culture and its hinterland.“, he confides.

While waiting to return, he took in his suitcase a good bottle of local red wine, and the book from Linda McCartney's photography exhibition at the Pavillon populaire. So british.