She studied modern languages at Oxford and is a fluent French and Italian speaker with some "rusty Japanese".

BBC: US & Canada

Oliver (7) has blossomed into a fluent French speaker, and his little brother, Robert (4) can grunt his way through most situations!

BBC: Launch of the euro

As ambassador, her fluent French, hard work and access to the highest officials in Washington and Paris eased the sting of such contentious Franco-American issues as NATO expansion and differences over the Middle East, U.N. leadership and trade.

CNN: Her Brilliant Career