A member of the RAF Regiment was the first of multiple soldiers to collapse while standing guard outside St Paul's Cathedral for the Queen's thanksgiving Jubilee service.
Members of the military lined the steps of the cathedral in as members of the Royal Family arrived today (3 June), as part of the ongoing Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
Dressed in uniform, the soldiers are tasked with standing guard in temperatures which are set to reach highs of 21°C. As royals continued to arrive, one member of the Royal Air Force collapsed to the ground.
Advert
The soldier managed to get back to his feet and was helped away as attendees, including Prince Harry, Meghan Markle and Boris Johnson, continued to fill the cathedral.
A second member of the military then also collapsed, but was able to get to his feet. A stretcher was brought out for assistance, but he was able to leave on foot with help.
The two incidents took place shortly before Prince Charles arrived at the cathedral for the service, which will not be attended by the Queen as she experienced 'some discomfort' during the celebrations on Thursday, Buckingham Palace said.
According to My London, three more military personnel also collapsed while standing guard, with the heat seemingly proving too much for some of those in their formal uniforms.
Collapsing soldiers are not the only ones to have gained attention outside St. Paul's Cathedral today, as prime minister Boris Johnson was met with a series of boos from members of the crowd watching the proceedings.
The PM has been the subject of controversy for the last few months after it emerged he had broken lockdown rules by attending social gatherings at Downing Street during the coronavirus outbreak.
Advert
Meanwhile, Harry and Meghan received a very different reception as members of the crowd greeted them with cheers. The thanksgiving service marks the couple's first joint appearance at a royal event in two years, and the first since they gave up their royal duties.
After making their way up the stairs, the royals made their way to the front of the cathedral before taking their seats ready for the service led by Stephen Cottrell.
Despite the Queen's absence, the Archbishop of York Stephen Cottrell addressed Her Majesty directly during the service and thanked her for showing 'how service and faithfulness matter'. He added he assumed the Queen would be watching the service on television at home, and said he was sad she was not able to attend in person.
Emily Brown