Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Royal Guards Faint under London’s Heat | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
Select Page
Media ID: 55376974
Caption:

Guards arrive at Buckingham Palace ahead of a horse-drawn
carriage procession carrying Queen Elizabeth II and the royal family
in London on June 5. – (Cathal McNaughton/Reuters)


London- Under blue skies and brilliant summer sunshine the Queen watched the centuries-old military spectacle of might, splendor, and precision marching on Horse Guards Parade in Henry VIII’s former yard in London.

The Queen’s birthday celebration saw unexpected accidents where many guards fainted as temperature soared to 30C.

According to the Daily Mail, at least five men were taken from the parade ground after being overcome by the sweltering conditions.

Dressed in full uniform, one soldier fell forward out of his formation as temperatures soared to 30C in Central London.

As the band marched towards his position, the guardsman collapsed to his knees before landing face down with his hands to his side. His colleagues maintained position as the ceremony to mark the Queen’s birthday continued around him.

Three soldiers then walked to his aid. One removed his bearskin before the guardsman was lifted onto a stretcher almost a minute and a half after he fainted.

An Army spokeswoman said: ‘We can confirm that during the Queen’s birthday parade today a small number of soldiers fainted’

The Queen said the country should be resolute in the face of adversity following a succession of tragedies.

In her birthday message, she said it was difficult to escape a very somber mood in the UK, which was united in sadness after recent suffering in London and Manchester.

Queen Elizabeth II was born on April 21, 1926, in Bruton Street, central London, while Calvin Coolidge was the president of the United States, and Joseph Stalin controlled the Soviet Union. She has become a Queen in 1952 when she was 25-year-old.

Despite her 91 years, Elizabeth still fulfills all her official duties, which have slightly declined in the few past years.

The Queen has used to celebrate her birthday twice; one in April and the other on the second Saturday of June, as part of an old tradition aiming to secure a celebration without weather surprises.