There are two possible approaches if you are the French navy and the British invite you to celebrations marking the 200th anniversary of Trafalgar. You can heave a great Gallic shrug, ignore the return slip at the bottom of the invitation and toss the thing straight into the bin with a parting “Pah!”

Or you can send a great big nuclear powered aircraft carrier twice the size of anything the Royal Navy has – and which just happens to be named after the chap who said “Non” to the first British application to join the European Economic Commission – then park it right in front of Her Majesty the Queen.

The Marine Nationale decided on the latter course yesterday, and a fine picture the Charles de Gaulle made at the Fleet Review. Only the American amphibious assault carrier Saipan rivaled the French ship in size. But it was a boxy-looking thing, lacking the C de G’s graceful lines – and its interesting range of table wines served at lunch before the crew of 1,900 turned out to salute Queen Elizabeth II.

The other big losers at Trafalgar, the Spanish, had obviously enjoyed their lunch too. They managed to forget that the queen was due to make a return run on the Endurance, and the deck of their flagship, the small carrier Principe de Asturias, was suddenly alive with scurrying sailors trying desperately to form up as the monarch glided past.

The senior French officer afloat, Vice Admiral Jacques Mazars, handled his brief with commendable sensitivity. Trafalgar, he explained, was a big thing for the Brits, but for Napoleon, who was more of a land guy, it was but a little local difficulty, hardly noticed after his major away win against Austria and Russia at Austerlitz later in the year.

So why had the French sent six ships, including the pride of their navy, to a victory party for the perfidious Brits? “We were invited. When you are invited to your cousin’s wedding, you wear your best dress. That’s what we have done.”

But to celebrate Trafalgar? “There’s no one upset to be here. There are no bad feelings. In 1805, Napoleon was at the beginning of his job. Trafalgar was a great thing for the British. On the French side, it was not a little thing, but not so important.

“Power at sea was very important for the U.K., so to win a battle at sea such as Trafalgar was very important. The French and Napoleon were very much land-minded. I would say he did not worry too much.”

But what of the re-creation of the battle and the decision to label the fleets red and blue? He shrugged. “For me, I don’t mind if it is red, blue, French, English, British, Spanish, one, two, alpha, bravo. I don’t mind.”

And what about Nelson? “For the French navy, he is not our hero but he is a great man and a great admiral.”

The carrier’s crew snapped smartly to attention as Endurance sailed past, a 21-gun salute echoing over the calm waters of the Solent. “God Save the Queen” was followed by the Marseillaise.

But despite all the evidence of a very cordial entente, there were remnants of that ancient animosity.

One of the pilots on board, Ensign Stephane Lombardo, said: “A lot of the seamen found it bizarre to celebrate with the English a battle that we have lost. It was provocative. If they had had a choice, half of the sailors would not have come.”

His fellow airman, Lieutenant David Prete, said some of his shipmates disagreed with the visit but most realized that it was useful in cementing Anglo-French relations.

And, while on the topic, could he name a famous French victory at sea?

“Beep.”

That’s a no, then.