Richard the Lionheart’s parents were Henry II (of Thomas Beckett fame or infamy) and Eleanor of Aquitaine. Richard spent most of his youth in Aquitaine (France) with his mother overseeing her estates. Henry II also ruled 2/3 of what is today modern France. Even though Richard would eventually be King of England he never learned English well enough to speak it.

(Book – Richard LionHeart – James A. Brundage)