Honor guard at Supreme Court collapses suddenly on live TV
An honor guardswoman suddenly collapsed Monday while standing next to the casket of the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, who was lying in repose at the US Supreme Court.
Footage shows the unidentified guardswoman wobbling for several seconds as her male colleague tries to steady her before she finally collapses. The cause of the collapse has not been disclosed.
The incident appears to follow a trend this year involving honor guardsmen suddenly collapsing.
In June media operatives blamed “climate change” after a British royal guardsman suddenly collapsed on camera, the fifth such incident in a month. It occurred just before the ceremony for Order of the Garter, England’s most senior order of chivalry. Included in the service was a procession led by King Charles, his first as monarch.
The guard, a member of the Household Cavalry, collapsed while standing in position as the procession passed and was helped away by policemen on scene. Media blamed the weather that day, which reportedly reached 24 degrees Celsius (75.2 degrees Fahrenheit).
Also in June a young soldier collapsed during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. A week before, three other guardsmen suddenly collapsed during a rehearsal for King Charles’ birthday parade. One was escorted off the square while the other two were carried away on stretchers.
In nearby France that month, cameras captured the moment another royal guardsman fell to the ground just behind French President Emmanuel Macron. Video footage showed a young Republican Guardsman suddenly collapsing at his post, at which point two men quickly moved him out of sight behind a pillar. Shortly after, an official planted himself in front of the collapsed guardsman to ostensibly block the sight from cameras as Macron smiled and waved to the cameras.
Media operatives were quick to claim that five reports in three weeks of young guards collapsing at their posts is a normal phenomenon.
“Multiple soldiers fainted at rehearsals for King Charles' birthday parade during a heat wave. Photos show it's been an issue for decades,” ran a headline from Insider.
But the article brought only six instances since 1957 of soldiers or guards fainting at royal ceremonies, each involving a single individual.
“Heat waves dominated last summer and are becoming increasingly common due to climate change,” the news site wrote.
