I don’t think that’s atypical, especially among men for some reason. My oncologist was very surprised that I don’t French, saying that, among British couples, it’s typically the wife that speaks French and the husband doesn’t.
Since the wife is French I would hope she speaks it!
I’d go as far as to suggest that it’s unusual (in my personal experience anyway) for both halves of British couples living in France to manage anything other than the most basic exchanges in French.
I’ve edited my post for clarity.
Yes, pre-internet we had to do all the footslogging ourselves and then for the mairie to do some as well as the prefecture where you would go in person. It certainly helped us as a family to understand how things were/are done and to try and speak and understand the language as well, money can’t buy those experiences.
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Really? Yes OH’s French is far better than mine as he worked as an bi-lingual editor, but mine is perfectly adequate. We don’t know many other British-British couples, so perhaps you are right. If so seems sad. One half would be so dependent on the other òne.
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My observations are based on 10 or so British couples in a very small area on the 47/82 border, so it’s not exactly a large sample size.
Larger than mine!
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I’m not sure it’s altogether because men don’t speak French, or understand, but that they do not want to make public verbal errors. Easier to use the wife / PA and save face 
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That was my theory, too, having once been that man.
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I so agree. OH had another issue - he needed to understand every word being spoken to him, so he would be several sentences behind the flow while he tried to work out what THAT word meant.
Increasing deafness in the elderly British male can also be an issue (which again they do not want to admit).
I, on the other hand just let it wash over me, hope to understand some of it, let them repeat themselves, and eventually I’ll get to the gist of it. Works some/most of the time. I have learnt to make vague noises, say “oui” (and hope I am right).
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Is it partly also connected to an understanding of non-verbal cues? I am, I would say, extremely good at giving the impression I am following a conversation, just from watching the speaker and giving the appropriate reactions. (I think of this as more of a female characteristic, but I hope the point is clear.) I remember once, at a talk by a chocolatière, I gave such a good impression that there may have been no one else in the room apart from me, judging by the way she increasingly directed her talk towards me.
The “let it wash over you” technique is also very useful.
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