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Something strange occurred on Wednesday while Queen Elizabeth II was lying in state at Westminster Hall. A contingent guard who was nearby her body suddenly dropped to the ground after collapsing.
On the catafalque, an elevated platform where the Queen’s coffin is placed, the guard, who is wearing a black uniform, may be seen at first appearing to stumble from his position.
He leans awkwardly, briefly leaves the podium, then rises to take his place. He suddenly falls forward and lies face-first on the ground a moment later, the crowd loudly gasping.
His cap slipped off, revealing a head of white hair, and two men rushed over to help him. The BBC, which was live-streaming the ceremony, had to pause for a moment as police and other emergency personnel responded.
The Queen’s coffin is always under security by members of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, or the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.
The nation’s longest-reigning king, who passed away on September 8 at the age of 96 after ruling for 70 years, is laid to rest in Westminster Hall before the state burial on Monday, September 19, at Westminster Abbey.
After spending more than 48 hours waiting outdoors in all kinds of weather, the coffin was finally brought out of Buckingham Palace on Wednesday in front of tens of thousands of spectators.
The public will get one more chance to say goodbye to the cherished monarch who is famed for her unyielding sense of duty on Thursday, the first full day of Queen Elizabeth II’s lying-in-state.
