While his mother remained in New York City throughout the war, his father went to England where he joined the Free French Forces.

David de Rothschild's father was an aggressive businessman who strove to expand the bank and their investments in mining and oil exploration as chairman of Imetal S.A.

However, the family fortunes suffered a severe setback following the election to the French Presidency of the socialist government of François Mitterrand in 1981.

[2][3] In 1986, when the Socialists lost power, the Rothschild family got a new banking license in France, thanks to a helping hand from Robert Badinter.

Ownership was shared equally between the French and British branches of the family under the leadership of David de Rothschild.