Dramatic moment Royal Guard collapses next to Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at Westminster

Video footage has captured the dramatic moment a member of the Royal Guard surrounding Queen Elizabeth’s coffin collapsed at Westminster Hall.

Video footage has captured the dramatic moment a member of the Royal Guard collapsed near Queen Elizabeth’s coffin in front of mourners who had gathered to say their final goodbyes.

The incident happened during a vigil at Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin is lying in state for the next four days ahead of her funeral on Monday.

In the disturbing footage, the man can be seen swaying and then lurching forwards before falling facedown from the podium onto the floor as onlookers gasped in shock.

Shortly before his collapse, the man had been seen momentarily leaving his position on the podium before returning as other guards joined him.

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The guard collapsed near the Queen's coffin. Picture: Twitter

Police officers and other bystanders immediately rushed to his aid, and a live stream from inside the building was momentarily shut down before restarting.

No updates on the man’s condition have yet been received, however, there has been some speculation on social media that the man may have suffered from “syncope” – a temporary loss of consciousness usually related to insufficient blood flow to the brain – caused by locking knees.

NOW - Royal guard at the Queen's coffin has collapsed.pic.twitter.com/39qduRuX0u

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“Extremely common in military formations but usually outside on a warm day,” one Twitter user speculated.

“Keep knees bent and wiggle toes, and isometrically tense leg muscles if standing still for very long periods to make sure blood keeps moving around well.”

The member of the Royal Guard topples over.

The Queen’s coffin is being guarded around the clock by members of the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, or Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London.

It comes as the UK braces for up to 750,000 members of the public to flock to London to pay their respects to the monarch, who died last Thursday at the age of 96 in Balmoral.

Within hours of the Queen’s coffin arriving in Westminster after a slow procession from Balmoral, a queue estimated to be more than 8km long had formed.

People queue along the Thames Embankment as tens of thousands of people join queues to see Queen Elizabeth II lying in state at Westminster Hall. Picture: Rob Pinney/Getty Images

Prince Harry, wife Meghan and Catherine, Princess of Wales stand at the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II. Picture: Jacob King – Pool/Getty Images

Some are facing a staggering 35-hour wait to share a final moment with the monarch, with the UK’s Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport now sharing updates on the queue length, including a map of the queue itself and weather updates for those in line.

According to the Times, several mourners have already passed out after waiting for hours, with authorities handing out foil blankets as temperatures plunged.

Images from Westminster have shown some mourners curtsying before the Queen’s coffin, with some being overwhelmed by emotion at the sombre occasion.