Elysee palace to bring back public changing of guard

PARIS: The Elysee Palace in Paris, home to the French presidency, said on Sunday it will bring back a public changing of the guard ceremony, 27 years after it was last held.

In a statement, the presidential office said the formal ceremony will be visible to the public on every first Tuesday of the month, starting on November 7, at 9 am (0800 GMT).

Two sections of the French Republican Guard of 16 soldiers will march along nearby Avenue de Marigny and Rue de l´Elysee and meet outside the Elysee gates on Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.

There the section leaders will salute each other and exchange orders before entering the palace for their 24-hour duty, the statement said. The public changing of the guard outside the Elysee was first held in 1909 every day at 7:45 am, but discontinued in 1996.