PARIS (Reuters) – A French trainee soldier on Wednesday proposed to his partner on the Champs Elysees in Paris shortly before President Emmanuel Macron rode down the boulevard in a military jeep during Bastille Day celebrations.
Amid delighted gasps from onlookers, the soldier, dressed in ceremonial uniform, dropped to his knee and briefly spoke to his girlfriend before placing a ring on her left hand, a video posted on the land army’s Twitter account showed.
He then stood, lowered his face mask and kissed her, to cheers from onlookers and ranks of service personnel.
“Everything is possible for our soldiers on the day of the #NationalDay. All our congratulations,” the army tweeted.
The proposal took place as members of the armed forces prepared for the traditional July 14 military parade along the boulevard linking the Arc de Triomphe with Place de la Concorde.
The soldier’s partner was allowed through a security cordon after the army learned of their comrade’s intentions, a land army spokeswoman said.
France’s National Day commemorates the storming of the Bastille, the medieval fortress which represented royal authority, during the French Revolution.
(Reporting by Richard Lough; Editing by Janet Lawrence)
