Entente cordiale The Entente Cordiale was a series of agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the United Kingdom and the Third French Republic . Beyond the immediate concerns of colonial expansion addressed by the agreement , the signing of the Entente Cordiale marked the end of almost a millennium of intermittent conflict between the two nations and their predecessor states , and the formalisation of the peaceful co - existence that had existed since the end of the Napoleonic Wars in 1815 . The Entente Cordiale , along with the Anglo - Russian Entente and the Franco - Russian Alliance , later became part of the Triple Entente among the UK , France , and Russia . The agreement settled many long - standing issues . France recognized British control over Egypt , while Britain reciprocated regarding France in Morocco . France gave up its exclusive fishery rights on the shores of Newfoundland and in return received an indemnity and territory in The Gambia ( Senegal ) and Nigeria . Britain dropped complaints regarding the French customs régime in Madagascar . The respective spheres of influence were defined in Siam ( Thailand ) . History . The French term " Entente Cordiale " ( usually translated as " cordial agreement " or " cordial understanding " ) comes from a letter written in 1843 by the British Foreign Secretary Lord Aberdeen to his brother , in which he mentioned ' a cordial , good understanding ' between the United Kingdom and France . This was translated into French as " Entente Cordiale " and used by Louis Philippe I in the French Chamber that year . When used today the term almost always denotes the " second " Entente Cordiale , that is to say the written and partly secret agreement signed in London between the two powers on April 8 , 1904 . The agreement was a change for both countries . France had been isolated from the other European powers , mostly as a result of the efforts of German Chancellor Otto von Bismarck to estrange France from potential allies , as it was thought that France might possibly seek revenge for its defeat in the Franco - Prussian War of 1870 – 71 . The United Kingdom had maintained a policy of " splendid isolation " on the European continent for nearly a century , intervening in continental affairs only when it was considered necessary to protect British interests and to maintain the continental balance of power . The situation for both countries changed in the last decade of the 19th century . The change had its roots in a British loss of confidence after the humiliations experienced during their prolonged struggle in the Second Boer War , and a growing fear that the country was isolated in the face of a potentially aggressive Germany . As early as March 1881 , the French statesman Léon Gambetta and the then - Prince of Wales , Albert Edward , met at the Château de Breteuil to discuss an alliance against Germany . The Scramble for Africa prevented the countries from coming to terms , however . On the initiative of Colonial Secretary Joseph Chamberlain , there were three rounds of British - German talks between 1898 and 1901 . King Edward VII declined to accede to the Triple Alliance , broke off the negotiations with Berlin , and revived the idea of a British - French alliance . When the Russo - Japanese War was about to erupt , France and Britain found themselves on the verge of being dragged into the conflict on the side of their respective allies . France was firmly allied with Russia , while Britain had recently signed the Anglo - Japanese Alliance . In order to avoid going to war , both powers " shucked off their ancient rivalry " and resolved their differences in Africa , the Americas , Asia , and the Pacific . Toward this end , French foreign minister Théophile Delcassé , and Lord Lansdowne , the British Foreign Secretary , negotiated an agreement on colonial matters , and Lord Lansdowne and Paul Cambon , the French Ambassador to Britain , signed the resulting convention on 8 April 1904 . However , it is far from clear what exactly the " Entente " meant to the British Foreign Office . For example , in early 1911 following French press reports contrasting the virility of the Triple Alliance with the moribund state of the " Entente " Eyre Crowe minuted : " The fundamental fact of course is that the " Entente " is not an alliance . For purposes of ultimate emergencies it may be found to have no substance at all . For the " Entente " is nothing more than a frame of mind , a view of general policy which is shared by the governments of two countries , but which may be , or become , so vague as to lose all content . " Ironically , the Triple Alliance would collapse with the cession of Italy at the outbreak of World War I , while the Entente would endure . The documents signed . The Entente was composed of three documents : Commemoration . The hundredth anniversary of the Entente cordiale in 2004 was marked by a number of official and unofficial events , including a state visit to France in April by Queen Elizabeth II and the Duke of Edinburgh , and a return visit by President Chirac in November . British troops ( the band of the Royal Marines , the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment , Grenadier Guards and King ' s Troop , Royal Horse Artillery ) also led the Bastille Day parade in Paris for the first time , with the Red Arrows flying overhead . In both London Waterloo International and Paris Gare du Nord , the flags of the United Kingdom and of France are depicted connected with the words ' Entente cordiale ' superimposed on posters . However a number of French political leaders had complained about the name " Waterloo " for the destination of trains from Paris because the British terminus is named after the 1815 battle where a British - led alliance defeated Napoleon ' s army . In 1998 , French politician Florent Longuepée wrote to the then British Prime Minister Tony Blair demanding , without success , that the name be changed . As of November 2007 this has been removed as St Pancras International became the new London terminus for the Eurostar service . During his March 2008 summit with Prime Minister Gordon Brown , French President Nicolas Sarkozy called for a stronger " entente amicale " ( " friendly understanding " ) between the two nations in a speech before the House of Commons . Brown , in turn , called for an " entente formidable " ( " formidable understanding " ) , emphasizing military cooperation between the United Kingdom and France and possibly indicating an interest in European military integration and strengthening the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union . The ' entente cordiale ' remains a significant factor in both countries ' diplomacy in the 21st century , manifesting itself in the ' Defence and Security Co - operation Treaty ' signed by President Sarkozy and Prime Minister David Cameron on 2 November 2010 . This treaty formed a joint Anglo - French military capability and recognised the shared strategic interests of the two nations as well as the fiscal reality that neither of the former great powers could maintain a globally significant military alone . Entente frugale is a wry reference term for cooperation between the British and French governments , announced in November 2010 . It relates to a military procurement , which is driven by cost constraints . The name " Entente Cordiale " is used for the Entente Cordiale Scholarship scheme , a selective Franco - British scholarship scheme which was announced on 30 October 1995 by British Prime Minister John Major and French President Jacques Chirac at an Anglo - French summit in London . It provides funding for British and French students to study for one academic year on the other side of the Channel . The scheme is administered by the French embassy in London for British students , and by the British Council France and the UK embassy in Paris for French students . Funding is provided by the private sector and foundations . The scheme aims to favour mutual understanding and to promote exchanges between the British and French leaders of tomorrow . The programme was initiated by Sir Christopher Mallaby , British ambassador to France between 1993 and 1996 .