Great Britain
Security guard collapses in front of Queen’s coffin
Guards during the procession from Buckingham Palace to Westminster Hall. photo
© Frank Augstein/AP Pool/dpa
Standing for hours is part of the work of the famous security guards in London – at the moment they have a particularly tight schedule. One of them fell over during a live BBC broadcast.
A security guard has collapsed on the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in London’s Westminster Hall. He stood on a small pedestal in front of the coffin on Thursday night, as shown in a live broadcast by the BBC public broadcaster. Then, during a changing of the guard, the guard fell over and hit his face on the ground. In the otherwise very quiet Westminster Hall, where the Queen’s coffin is laid out, the impact was clearly audible. The security guard had already swayed several times before and once stumbled off the pedestal.
Bystanders guards rushed to the fallen man’s aid and rolled him onto his back. Several waiting people who wanted to say goodbye to the Queen clapped their hands in shock in front of their faces. The live stream then switched to an outside view.
Nothing was initially known about the health of the security guard. The traditional security guards in Britain often have to stand for hours at work. Similar incidents due to circulatory problems have already occurred in the past.
The Queen’s coffin is laid out for the public in Westminster Hall, the oldest part of Britain’s Parliament. Until Monday morning, people can slowly walk past the coffin and say goodbye to the long-standing British head of state.