Statues of French Military leaders (and French politicians in general) are in pretty short supply in London based on the fact that we spent the best part of the past 900 years either at war, or at least in some sort of conflict, with them.
However, our traditional foe became best buddies from 1904 onwards when Britain and France signed the Entente Cordiale in the face of first Imperial Germany and then Nazi Germany, deciding to become the main threat to democracy in Europe.
The only statues in London dedicated to French military leaders is the one of General Marshal Ferdinand Foch in Victoria (who became Supreme Commander of Allied Forces on the Western Front in WW1) and General Charles de Gaulle leader of the Free French in WW2, unveiled here in Carlton House Terrace.
At first glance, this seems quite a hidden away spot for such an important figure such as de Gaulle, but the location is clearly dictated by the fact that the building opposite was where the Free French had their headquarters and the General would have been a frequent visitor.
Having said that, de Gaulle wasn’t very popular with the British establishment during the war. Yes, he was crucial in acting as a figurehead for Frech resistance to the Nazis, but he was aloof and many in the Allied high command found him difficult to work with and didn’t trust him.
However, the enthusiastic fundraising for the statue by the British public in 1998, led to a reciprocal statue of Winston Churchill being unveiled in Paris, proving that Entente Cordiale was still (at that time at any rate) was alive and well.