Great Britain continues to cope with the loss of their beloved Queen Elizabeth II after she died September 8 at the age of 96, ending her 70-year reign. With many now in mourning, the Queen's passing has taken a noticeable toll on her constituents.
The UK is observing the tradition of monarchs lying in state, with members of the public allowed to visit the Queen's coffin and pay their respects. However, this tradition seems to be taking a toll on the Royal Guard, who are required to stand perfectly still in vigil.
A frightful moment saw a member of the guard collapsing before quickly being attended to by staff at Westminster Hall.
See post below:
\u201cGuard Faints While Standing Watch Next To Queen Elizabeth II\u2019s Casket\u201d— No Jumper (@No Jumper) 1663282298
It is a somber scene inside the doors of Westminster, which now houses civilian onlookers paying their respects to the late Queen.
The Royal Guard are situated in a circular formation surrounding the Queen's coffin, uniformed and holding ceremonial staffs. Soldiers are tasked with standing still for 20-minute shifts for up to a total of six hours.
It takes impressive stamina to pull off such a feat, and it comes as little surprise that some guards would experience adverse health issues.
Twitter erupted with users questioning the cause of the guard's collapse.
\u201cRoyal Guard next to Queen Elizabeth's coffin faints!\n#QueenElizabeth #QueenElizabethII\n\nWhat could be the possible reason..?! \n\ud83e\udd28\ud83e\udd14\u201d— Alter Ego (@Alter Ego) 1663242429
\u201cBreaking: A member of the Royal Guard suddenly falls in front of the Queen's coffin.\nWhat's wrong with him?\u201d— jhon miller (@jhon miller) 1663201610
\u201cThere goes another mysterious collapse\ud83e\udd14\ud83e\udd14. Royal Guard Faints While Protecting Queen Elizabeth II's Coffin https://t.co/ZRC2aeozmv\u201d— Maria Miranda (@Maria Miranda) 1663295472
Some people even blamed Covid-19 vaccines.
\u201cOn September 14, a guard faints off the podium for unknown reasons while holding vigil beside Queen Elizabeth II's coffin, and the live broadcast was interrupted for several minutes. Is this a COVID-19 vaccine disaster?\n\nhttps://t.co/9ztBkDPI5G\u201d— Haru (@Haru) 1663321915
\u201cGuard at Queen Elizabeth Public viewing faints\u2026.you know he\u2019s double boostered \ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\ud83e\udd37\u200d\u2642\ufe0f\u201d— Matt Lautner Cattle (@Matt Lautner Cattle) 1663251816
Others empathize with the guard.
\u201cMy heart goes out to this guard who passed out next to #QueenElizabethII coffin. God bless him and keep him. I hope he is well. \nhttps://t.co/nFKpiE47Ir\u201d— Faith Mbabazi (@Faith Mbabazi) 1663245500
\u201cRoyal guard faints during the change of guard in Westminster. Poor guy... what a hard job #QueenElizabeth #lyinginstate #WestminsterHall\u201d— feds; heartstopper \ud83c\udf42 / young royals \ud83e\udd8b (@feds; heartstopper \ud83c\udf42 / young royals \ud83e\udd8b) 1663199045
\u201cGuard faints while keeping vigil over Queen Elizabeth coffin at Westminster. A testament to the fact that humans are not created to stay immobile for hours. Others would argue that he knew what he signed for. https://t.co/1AtrEZzXU2\u201d— Action Group Against Police Brutality of Ti in UK (@Action Group Against Police Brutality of Ti in UK) 1663238291
English journalist Chris Ship had the most logical take.
\u201cCameras recorded a Royal guardsman fainting and falling off the podium next under the Queen\u2019s coffin.\nIt\u2019s not unusual for a guardsman to faint when on duty. It\u2019s why the continuous vigil changes watch every 20 minutes \ud83d\udc47 \n#queenelizabeth https://t.co/4OTKfuQa8q\u201d— Chris Ship (@Chris Ship) 1663235131
The Queen will lie in state for four days before being laid to rest at St. George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The guard in question is reportedly fine, though there have been no details released about why he fainted.