The BBC suspended its live streaming service of Her Majesty’s lying-in-state on Thursday morning. The national broadcaster temporarily took the live broadcast offline after one of the royal guards watching over the Queen’s coffin collapsed. Footage of the incident, which occurred in the early hours of Thursday, has been shared on social media. The guard was standing at the foot of the coffin, when he suddenly fell, leading to many of his colleagues rushing to his aid. The live stream is now back up and running, showing thousands of members of the public paying respects to the late monarch. Westminster Hall will remain open 24 hours a day until Her Majesty is moved on Monday for her state funeral. Soldiers, draped in ceremonial uniforms are required to maintain their presence around the coffin for 24 hours a day. The guards have been drafted in from many units, such as the Sovereign’s Bodyguard, the Household Division, and the Yeoman Warders of the Tower of London. To avoid situations like this, guards are required to rotate around the coffin every 20 minutes, with the total shift time for a guard reaching almost six hours. After the incident occurred, the BBC almost immediately halted images showing inside Westminster Hall. According to The Telegraph, the guard’s condition is currently unknown. The footage of the incident caused a stir on social media. One Twitter user said: “Pretty grim, he staggered a few times just before it happened as well - he’ll be lucky not to have seriously injured his face, hitting the floor that hard.” Another user also wished the guard well, saying: “Oh this is terrible the way he fell flat on his face he could have seriously injured himself. I hope he is ok. My respect and love to all these guards and officers.” Queen Elizabeth II will remain at Westminster Hall until 6:30am on Monday, 19 September, and her funeral will begin at 11am at Westminster Abbey.
