On Thursday, September 8, news shook to the whole world: at the age of 96 and after seven decades on the throne, Queen Elizabeth II died. The event was in the news internationally at the same time that, in the United Kingdom, both the media and the streets dressed in mourning. Almost a week later, the body of the monarch – who was in Scotland at the time of her death – arrived in London, where a procession was held that culminated in the Palace of Westminster. In the midst of the start of what will be a four-day wake, a royal soldier lost consciousness while standing guard by the coffin.
After weeks of uncertainty and concern for the queen’s health, last Thursday, Buckingham Palace confirmed that she had died. Added to the pain of the news was the complication of the context: her death coincided with an official visit to Scotland, which involved a complex transfer protocol.
Finally, on September 14, the coffin arrived in London, where it was received by his son and successor, Carlos III. Once in the English capital, he made a procession from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster, in what was the first major event in his honor. It is there where a burning chapel was installed -more precisely in the Westminster Hall- where nearly 400,000 people will pass in what will be a wake that will last four days until Monday arrives, the day on which the funeral of Condition.
In accordance with protocol and tradition, multiple guards were stationed around the coffin and, on the first day of the wake, one of them was involved in an incident. As could be seen in the video, the man belonging to the Royal Company of Archers began to stagger until, passed out, he collapsed, hitting his face on the ground despite the efforts of his companion, who tried to support him without abandoning his position. . Quickly, two policemen approached him to help him.
#LAST MINUTE Honor guard collapsed during funeral chapel of Queen Elizabeth II https://t.co/y0SQDa36oj pic.twitter.com/tgaWKL0tTW
— We monitor (@we monitor) September 15, 2022
The networks echoed the episode and, in a matter of minutes, the footage became the center of debate as users theorized about the reason for the decompensation.
Charlie Proctor, a correspondent for the royal family and editor-in-chief of Royal Central, reported through his Twitter account that, due to the fall, the procession of people was paused. Minutes later, he detailed: “The guard is receiving medical attention. In the meantime, a rotation of the guard has taken place and the public can now continue to walk alongside the queen.”
Although the reason for the decompensation was not known, the journalist clarified that measures were taken to avoid similar events. “If one of the guards feels ill during the vigil, he has been told to raise his head—by tradition, everyone must keep their eyes on the ground. This will alert the higher guard and a rotation will take place, ”he explained along with a video that exemplified the change of soldiers. For now, no other event has emerged that has interrupted the ceremony.