French soldiers have been invited to guard the British Royal Family’s London residence at Buckingham Palace for the first time in history, marking 120 years of friendly relations between the two nations.
On Monday, France will become the first country outside of the British Commonwealth to see its soldiers take part in the ceremonial Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
The event will mark the anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale in 1904 in which the rival nations agreed to fight on the same side in the First World War, which marked a dramatic improvement in relations between London and Paris.
The ceremony will see 32 soldiers from the Republican Guard of the National Gendarmerie march alongside 40 Guardsmen of the F Company Scots Guards in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace, GB News reports.
On the same day, 16 British troops from the Coldstream Guards will join soldiers from the Regiment de la Garde Republicaine during a similar ceremony for President Emmanuel Macron at the Élysée Palace.
Members of France’s Gendarmerie Garde Republicaine take part in a rehearsal for a special Changing of the Guard ceremony, at Wellington Barracks in London on April 5, 2024 ahead of the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. France is to become the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace on April 8, 2024, for the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP) (Photo by BENJAMIN CREMEL/AFP via Getty Images)
Soldiers from the two nations were seen rehearsing the ceremony on Friday at Westminster’s Wellington Barracks, named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon Bonaparte at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, precipitating his second and final abdication as French Emperor.
Garrison Sergeant Major Andrew Stokes, who has led the training for the ceremony, said: “It is crucial for everyone in Nato to have a strong relationship.
“And this is an opportunity to both celebrate the 120th anniversary of the signing of the Entente Cordiale and also demonstrate our close relations with the French.
“Our first rehearsal went really well so we’re not nervous at all. It will be a wonderful celebration and an opportunity for the public to witness such a spectacle.”
Personnel from the Gendarmerie’s Garde Republicaine and the British Army’s Scots Guards during rehearsals for Changing the Guard, at Wellington Barracks in London. France will become the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, on April 8, for the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. Picture date: Friday April 5, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
The ceremony at Buckingham Palace will be attended by the heads of the respective nations militaries, UK Chief of General Staff General Sir Patrick Sanders and French Chief of the Army Staff General Pierre Schill.
They soldiers will be inspected by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, on behalf of King Charles, who stepped back from his public duties following his diagnosis with cancer.
Personnel from the Gendarmerie’s Garde Republicaine during rehearsals for Changing the Guard, at Wellington Barracks in London. France will become the first non-Commonwealth country to take part in the Changing the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace, London, on April 8, for the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale. Picture date: Friday April 5, 2024. (Photo by Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty Images)
The designer of the event, Lt Col James Shaw said: “This is a sign of the strength of our relations. The French are some of our closest friends. And who knows when we might need each other?