In London, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh will watch the ceremony.
Paris France:
French and British troops will swap roles on Monday to take part in a changing of the guard ceremony outside the palace of each other’s heads of state, in an unprecedented move to mark the 120th anniversary of the Entente Amity.
The Treaty of Amity signed in 1904 cemented the improved relations between the two countries after the Napoleonic Wars and is still considered the basis of the alliance between the two NATO members.
During the ceremony, British guards will take part in the changing of the guard outside French President Emmanuel Macron’s Elysee Palace for the historic first time, and French guards will later perform the same changing of the guard outside King Charles III’s Buckingham Palace in London.
From 0830 GMT at the Elysée Palace, 16 members of the 7th Company of the British Embassy’s Coldstream Guards will wear traditional bearskin hats and take over from their French counterparts in the 1st Infantry Regiment.
The French Army Chorus will then perform two national anthems – “God Save the King” and “La Marseillaise”.
A French presidential official said: “This is the first time in the history of the Elysee Palace that foreign troops have been invited to participate in this military ceremony.”
At the end of 2023, Macron once again announced the replacement of the Republican Guard, which will be on the first Tuesday of every month. However, the ceremony was far less spectacular than the one outside the Royal Palace in London.
“Shared values”
French presidential officials said that two detachments of the 1st and 2nd Infantry Regiments of the French Republican Guard will participate in the changing of the guard ceremony in front of Buckingham Palace along with guardsmen from F Company of the Scots Guards and other British troops.
In London, the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh – Prince Edward and his wife Sophie – will watch the ceremony, accompanied by British Chief of Staff General Patrick Saunders and French Army Chief of Staff Pierre Schell.
The ceremony in the forecourt of Buckingham Palace will mark the first time that countries outside the Commonwealth, which mainly includes English-speaking former British colonies and dependencies, take part in the Changing of the Guard ceremony.
The Entente of Amity, signed on April 8, 1904, is widely considered to have paved the way for France and Britain to join forces against Germany in World War I.
While the Entente of Amity is often used to describe Franco-British relations, the relationship has been plagued by tensions in recent years, especially after Brexit.
Immigration has been a particular sticking point, with London putting pressure on Paris to prevent migrants from crossing the English Channel.
But King Charles’s state visit last fall – one of his last major diplomatic engagements before being diagnosed with cancer – was widely considered a resounding success, demonstrating the fundamental strength of the relationship.
“This anniversary is therefore an opportunity to promote the historic military, diplomatic, economic and cultural ties that unite France and the UK and to reaffirm our shared values,” a French presidential official said.
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