French troops make history as they take part in Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace
British and French soldiers have made history by parading together for historic Changing of the Guard ceremonies on both sides of the Channel to celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale.
In Paris, British soldiers took part in a guard ceremony at the Elysée Palace, while their French counterparts became the first non-Commonwealth troops to take part in the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh inspected UK and French troops on the forecourt of the palace during the event to highlight the close ties between the two nations.
While the members of the Garde Républicaine (Republican Guard) took part in the Changing of the Guard, they were not tasked with guarding the royal residence as this is an honour that is reserved only for British and Commonwealth personnel.
The royal couple represented King Charles, who is continuing his cancer treatment, as they inspected the British and French troops at Buckingham Palace.
Thirty-two soldiers from France's 1st and 2nd Infantry regiments of the Garde Républicaine took part in the prestigious ceremony.
The British contingent was made up of 40 guardsmen from F Company Scots Guards.
The Band of the Grenadier Guards performed the national anthems of both the nations.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh were joined by General Sir Patrick Sanders, the Chief of the General Staff, General Pierre Schill, France's Chief of the Army Staff, and the French ambassador to the UK, Helene Duchene.
Major Jamie Drummond-Moray, Officer Commanding F Company Scots Guards, said: "It is an enormous privilege for us to host the French here in London and to play such a significant part in a ceremony that has never happened before with a non-Commonwealth country.
"It really is a monumental occasion and more so given that it is marking 120 years of the strong relationship between the UK with France.
"I think it's a great honour for all our soldiers, and a fantastic day for everyone in France and the UK."
In parallel to the events in London, the Elysée Palace in Paris hosted British personnel in a similar guard ceremony arranged specially to mark the Entente Cordiale anniversary.
Sixteen soldiers from Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards joined troops from 1er Régiment de la Garde Républicaine to provide the Presidential Guard outside the Elysée Palace, the first-ever example of a foreign state guarding the French presidential residence.
They were accompanied by two musicians from the British Army's Household Division Bands.
The troops were inspected in the courtyard of the Elysée Palace by French President Emmanuel Macron.
The events marked 120 years of the Entente Cordiale, which was a series of diplomatic agreements signed on 8 April 1904 between the UK and the French republic.
The Entente Cordiale marked the end of centuries of intermittent conflict between the two nations and laid the groundwork for their cooperation during the First World War.
The role of the French personnel in the Buckingham Palace ceremony forms part of a longer-term programme of joint UK-French activity celebrating the two nations' historic military and diplomatic ties this year.
The Garde Républicaine is part of the French Gendarmerie Nationale and serves as a military force responsible for law enforcement, security and ceremonial duties in national palaces in Paris.
F Company Scots Guards is a British Army Public Duties Company responsible for ceremonial duties at the King's Residences in London and Windsor.
It is a sub-unit of the Scots Guards, one of the five regiments of the British Army's Household Division.
In common with other regiments, soldiers have the opportunity to serve in both a ceremonial role in F Company and within the battalion as a mechanised infantry soldier.
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