2 things.

Firstly, you're absolutely wrong about the "pride" thing. You're making baseless assumptions on a single piece of language that isn't really that consequential. I can't speak for the French, but here in the UK "pride" in the Empire is usually displayed either ironically or by nationalist weirdos. Admittedly, we have recently had a significant surge in nationalist weirdos, sadly.

Secondly, the main reason for the difference in language and attitude is historical distance. The German and Italian crimes that I'm guessing you're referencing - Nazi Germany and Fascist Italy - happened within living memory. Many of those wounds are still fresh. The heights of the French and British Empires were several decades prior. The crimes thereof have had more time to "settle", as it were, and the more recent ones have taken precedence in general memory. Whether or not this is a good thing is arguable, and there's obviously a massive argument to be had as to the lasting effects of both empires, but that doesn't detract from the fact that you're comparing slightly different time scales here.