British troops will march through the streets of Paris during France’s Bastille Day celebrations for the first time in more than two decades, underlining the growing military partnership between London and Paris as Europe steps up support for Ukraine.
Soldiers, sailors and aviators from the UK will take part in Monday’s historic parade alongside French forces and troops from almost 30 nations in one of the most international Bastille Day celebrations in recent memory.
Outgoing Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer will attend the ceremony during what is expected to be his final week in Downing Street, following talks with leaders at the Coalition of the Willing summit in the French capital.
Leading the British contingent will be soldiers from the Grenadier Guards, one of the British Army’s oldest and most distinguished regiments.
They will march alongside France’s 1er Régiment de la Garde Républicaine under the Bonds of Friendship initiative, a joint UK-France military programme designed to strengthen cooperation through shared training, operations and ceremonial events.
The appearance marks Britain’s most prominent role in the Bastille Day parade since 2004, when UK forces led the celebrations marking the centenary of the Entente Cordiale between Britain and France.
Royal Navy officer cadets from Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth will also parade alongside French cadets from École Navale near Brest, reflecting a new twinning agreement between the two institutions.
The partnership forms part of the Royal Navy’s wider Personnel Exchange Programme, which currently has 13 British personnel embedded within the French Navy.
The Royal Air Force will also play a role in the celebrations.
A British F-35 Lightning II fighter jet will fly alongside French Rafale aircraft during the traditional Bastille Day flypast, while an RAF A400M Atlas transport aircraft will join two French A400Ms and a German A400M in a multinational formation over Paris.
The military display comes as Britain and France continue to lead the Coalition of the Willing, the alliance of more than 30 countries established to coordinate long-term military and economic support for Ukraine.
Meeting in Paris, coalition leaders agreed to deepen defence cooperation as Russia’s invasion enters another critical phase.
Sir Keir announced that Britain will join the European Union’s €90 billion (£78 billion) loan programme to help fund Ukraine’s most urgent defence requirements.
The outgoing Prime Minister also confirmed that British defence companies will be eligible to compete for contracts financed through the EU-backed fund.
This agreement will help ensure Ukraine gets the support it needs to defend itself against Russian aggression, while backing British defence companies, supporting skilled jobs and strengthening our national security,” Sir Keir said.
The coalition also unveiled plans to jointly develop a new European anti-ballistic missile system intended to provide a lower-cost alternative to the US-made Patriot air defence system.
In a joint statement, leaders from Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden and Ukraine said Europe required an integrated missile defence architecture capable of deterring future threats.
We believe that the protection of Europe requires a global solution of integrated missile defence architecture to deter and defeat future missile threats — developed through collective effort, technological openness and trusted industrial cooperation,” the statement said.
The initiative is expected to complement existing missile defence systems while reducing Europe’s dependence on American military technology.
As British troops prepare to march down the Champs-Élysées, the display will serve as a powerful symbol of the renewed Anglo-French defence partnership at a time when European nations are rapidly rearming in response to the threat posed by Russia.
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