Army chief General Manoj Pande receives ceremonial welcome in UK

 

 

 

ARMY chief General Manoj Pande received a ceremonial welcome with a Guard of Honour at Horse Guards Parade in London at the start of his UK visit on Thursday. Gen. Pande was received by the UK’s Chief of the General Staff, Gen. Sir Patrick Sanders, before he inspected a Guard of Honour by the Number 7 Company Coldstream Guards, one of the oldest regiments in the British Army dressed in their iconic scarlet tunics and black bearskin caps. The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) said the Band of the Grenadier Guards, conducted by Director of Music Captain Robert Smith, performed a bespoke programme of music in support of the occasion to illustrate the harmony between the two nations.

 

“Framed by the Old Admiralty on one side, No. 10 Downing Street on the other, and with a clear view of Buckingham Palace, it is here that the King takes the salute from the very same spot during the Trooping of the Colour ceremony for his official birthday in June,” the MoD said. “There was a powerful sense of faithful continuity about the ceremonial welcome. The regiments represented on parade are among the most historic in the British Army and have enjoyed a reputation of world renown for their dual role excellence in combat operations and ceremonial duties for almost 400 years,” it said.