UK and French troops rehearse Changing of the Guard ahead of historic ceremony

In a historic moment marking the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, French troops are gearing up to participate in the Changing of the Guard ceremony at Buckingham Palace.

Rehearsing at Wellington Barracks in London, the French Gendarmerie Nationale are set to parade together on Monday alongside soldiers of the British Army’s Household Division.

Signed in 1904, the Entente Cordiale was a landmark agreement signifying a historic understanding and cooperation between France and Britain. 

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The ceremony will see the first time such collaboration will take place directly in front of Buckingham Palace.

The Garde Républicaine are the French military force responsible for law enforcement, security and ceremonial duties in national palaces in Paris.

The ceremony, which will take place at 11 am, will see the group of soldiers traditionally relieved by a new detachment of troops in front of an audience of 40 VIPs.

They will be inspected by the Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, the UK Chief of General Staff (CGS), General Sir Patrick Sanders, the French Chief of the Army Staff, General Pierre Schill, and the French ambassador to the UK Helene Duchene.

The Gendarmerie will be marched on and off the Buckingham Palace forecourt by the Band of the Grenadier Guards, who will also perform both countries’ national anthems and a programme of Anglo-French music.

The F Company of the Scots Guards are permanently based in London and provide Royal Guards to Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the Tower of London.

While the Gendarmerie will take part in the ancient ceremony they won’t take the place of their British counterparts in Guarding the King.

That’s a responsibility only afforded to members of the British Armed Forces and Commonwealth troops.

The joint participation of French and British troops in the Changing of the Guard will serve to embody the spirit of cooperation between Britain and France in the modern era.

The Entente Cordiale, often translated as 'friendly agreement,' marked the end of almost 1000 years of frequent wars between the two nations.

The Ministry of Defence said the appearance by French personnel at Buckingham Palace forms part of a longer-term programme of joint UK-French activity that celebrates the two nations’ historic military and diplomatic ties in 2024.

This will include military sporting events, participation in each other’s air shows, and major events in Normandy this June to commemorate the heroic service of Allied veterans who fought to liberate France from Nazi occupation.

The Ministry Of Defence said these will serve to further strengthen the long-standing military and security partnership between Britain and France.

A similar guard change attended by President Macron will be held in Paris earlier on the same day.