UK and France march together on Bastille Day for the first time since 2004
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British soldiers, sailors and aviators will
march and fly in Paris on 14 July alongside French forces and
troops from nearly 30 countries following meeting of Coalition of
the Willing in Paris The parade marks the deepening of one of
Europe's strongest defence partnerships UK and French troops are
working together through the Coalition of the Willing to support
lasting peace British troops will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with
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British troops will stand shoulder-to-shoulder with French forces in the Bastille Day parade in Paris on 14 July, as the UK Prime Minister visits France alongside other Coalition of the Willing leaders. Soldiers from the Grenadier Guards, one of the British Army's oldest and most distinguished regiments, will march through Paris. The regiment is paired with France's 1er Régiment de la Garde Républicaine under the Bonds of Friendship initiative. Both regiments combine ceremonial, protective, and operational roles the Grenadier Guards protect the Royal Palaces and deploy operationally, while the Garde Républicaine provides Presidential escort and protects 12 key Paris sites. The Guardsmen will parade with forces from nearly 30 nations, making it one of the most internationally significant Bastille Day celebrations in recent memory. Their participation alongside UK sailors and aviators marks the most prominent British contribution to the parade since 2004, when UK troops led the march to mark the centenary of the Entente Cordiale. For the 120th anniversary of the Entente Cordiale, the two nations made history by taking part in each other's Changing of the Guard ceremonies at Buckingham Palace and the Élysée Palace for the first time, with both national anthems played in each palace courtyard. British forces have appeared on the Champs-Élysées on only a handful of occasions, most notably in 1919 and 1939, making this a rare and historic moment in the two nations' shared military history. Two Royal Navy officer cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth will parade alongside French Navy cadets from the Écoles Navale near Brest a visible symbol of the formal twinning agreement recently established between the two colleges. A Royal Navy exchange officer based at the Écoles Navale will also march with them. A similar twinning is being established between the two navies' maritime warfare schools. These institutional links sit within the wider Royal Navy Personnel Exchange Programme, which has grown significantly since the 2010 Lancaster House Treaty and now sees 13 Royal Navy personnel embedded across the French Navy. Others are training French submarine crews, working in aviation, personnel, support and operations headquarters, and advising at the strategic policy office of the French Navy Chief of Staff. French personnel serve in reciprocal positions across the Royal Navy and wider UK defence. Numbers are expected to grow as new technologies and shared priorities open further opportunities for exchange. A single RAF F-35 will fly alongside French Rafales in the Bastille Day flypast, joined by a British A400M flying in formation with two French A400Ms and a German A400M, showcasing the UK's contributions to future European capability. The UK and France have led the Coalition of the Willing since 2025 with the aim of securing a sustainable and lasting peace in Ukraine. The two nations would look to help Ukraine regenerate its Armed Forces and rebuild its economy following the cessation of hostilities. The UK has already provided significant support to Ukraine and committed to spending £3 billion a year on military aid for its Armed Forces. Thousands of munitions, vehicles and drones have been delivered directly to forces fighting on the front line, with the UK announcing in June that it would send 150,000 drones to Ukraine this year. Day-to-day, UK and French personnel embedded in each other's forces are delivering real operational output not just building relationships, but flying missions together. UK personnel are currently flying French Rafales on Operation CHAMMAL, France's counter-ISIS mission in the Middle East, while French personnel are flying RAF Typhoons on Operation SHADER, the UK's equivalent mission. UK A400M specialists are supporting French resupply and non-combatant evacuation operations in the same region. The UK and France are Europe's only nuclear powers and together account for nearly 40% of European Allies' defence spending and over 50% of European defence research and technology investment. The parade builds on commitments made at Lancaster House in 2025, where both nations committed to greater coordination between their nuclear forces, the development of new military capabilities and the establishment of a Combined Joint Force to boost collective warfighting readiness across all domains, including space and cyber. Notes to editors
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