EVER since English archers gave French soldiers a two-fingered salute on the battlefield, our relationship with the neighbours has been mixed.

But this week has been all about the Entente Cordiale. The Queen is visiting France, Yorkshire Air Museum is celebrating our wartime alliance and, on the page opposite, an Anglo-French York couple celebrate the best of both cultures.

Those unconvinced by this Francophilia still have something to smile about today, however. The way things are going, the Eurotunnel could soon be shut.

Updated: 11:11 Wednesday, April 07, 2004