Their Royal Highnesses The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, on behalf of The King, accompanied by the UK Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders, French Chief of the Army Staff, General Pierre Schill, and the French Ambassador to the UK, Hélène Duchêne attended the parade on 8 April 2024 at 10.45 on the Forecourt of Buckingham Palace.
Watch the parade
This event marked the 120th Anniversary of the signature of the Entente Cordiale agreements. It was the first time a non-Commonwealth Country took part in the Changing of the Guard parade. In parallel to events in London, the Elysée Palace in Paris hosted British personnel in a similar guard ceremony outside the French Presidential Residence.
The unprecedented appearance by French personnel in The King’s Guard Change ceremony forms part of a longer-term programme of joint UK-French activity that celebrates the two nations’ historic military and diplomatic ties in 2024.