The safety of Buckingham Palace appeared to be placed in the hands of France as French troops took part in the changing of the guard ceremony for the first time, reports The Times.
If onlookers wondered whether the arrival of members of the 1st and 2nd Infantry of the Garde Républicaine was the start of a coup d’état, they could be reassured that it was in fact a celebration of 120 years of Anglo-French friendship.
The ceremony on Monday, in which soldiers in kepis stood to attention alongside those in bearskins, marked the first time that soldiers from a country outside the Commonwealth have taken part.
The Ministry of Defence stressed that French soldiers were not “guarding” the palace but merely taking part in a ceremonial event.
The Duke and Duchess of Edinburgh inspected 32 French soldiers and 40 guardsmen from F Company Scots Guards, standing in for the King as he undergoes treatment for cancer.
It is 120 years to the day since Edward VII, the King’s great great grandfather, encouraged the British government to abandon its policy of “splendid isolation” and strike an alliance with its old rival.