The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh, Edward and Sophie, have represented King Charles at a landmark Changing of the Guard ceremony to mark a special 120th anniversary
Video Unavailable
Prince Edward and Sophie attend Entente Cordiale parade
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh have stepped in for King Charles at a historic military event at Buckingham Palace.
Prince Edward and wife Sophie represented the monarch – who is currently undergoing cancer treatment and not carrying out public-facing duties – to inspect the troops after French soldiers joined their British and Commonwealth counterparts at a landmark Changing of the Guard ceremony today. The special ceremony was to mark the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, an agreement heralded as the cornerstone of enduring Anglo-French peace, which set the stage for the countries’ united front against German ambitions in the decade before World War One.
Today, at Buckingham Palace at 11am, 120 years after the historic deal was reached, for the first time it was marked by French troops taking part in the traditionally Commonwealth-centric Changing of the Guard Ceremony.
The MOD stressed the French soldiers were not ‘guarding’ the palace but simply taking part in the ceremonial event as British and Commonwealth troops actually guard the estate. Edward and Sophie, in a pale blue dress and beige coat, inspected the troops along with the French Ambassador to the UK Her Excellency Hélène Duchêne during the 15-minute ceremony. They were joined by the UK’s Chief of the General Staff, General Sir Patrick Sanders,and his French counterpart, General Pierre Schill.
The parade showcased a remarkable display of unity with 32 members of the French Gendarmerie’s Garde Républicaine and 40 Guardsmen from the Scots Guards sharing the forecourt of the palace. The band of the Grenadier Guards played the two national anthems and a medley of Anglo-French music.
Simultaneously, a mirrored ceremony took place at the Elysée Palace in Paris, where British personnel from the Coldstream Guards participated in the guard ceremony – a first for a foreign state at the French Presidential Residence. King Charles’ great great grandfather Edward VII played a pivotal role in the formation of the Entente Cordiale, which marked a significant shift in British foreign policy. It was seen as a personal triumph for the monarch known for his diplomatic skill and charm.
Charles has currently scaled back public-facing duties such as events likes these as he continues to undergo treatment for an undisclosed form of cancer, which is said to be going well. However, last weekend, he delighted well-wishers when he appeared at an Easter Sunday church service at Windsor Castle before waving at the crowds and Âchatting to those gathered outside.
The King, who is having weekly treatment for the disease, shook as many hands as possible with royal fans and when one said “get well soon” he replied: “I’m doing my best.”
The monarch has now reportedly told aides he’s “raring to go” for a trip to Australia later this year and is expected to travel to Birkhall next week, The Sun reports. The scheduled autumn visit Down Under is just months away, with both Charles and Camilla set to visit Australia, New Zealand and Samoa in October as part of a Commonwealth visit which would involve 21-hour flights over 20,000 miles.
While the official line from Buckingham Palace is that “nothing is ruled in or out”, sources have claimed the King and his doctors were feeling extremely optimistic following his Easter Sunday appearance which went without a hitch. “The King is raring to go after a significant amount of time off due to his cancer diagnosis,” an insider told the publication.
