ONE OF THE royal guards watching over Queen Elizabeth’s coffin at Westminster Hall suddenly collapsed last night.

The guard was standing at the foot of the late monarch’s casket when he fell to the floor without warning.

Footage taken from a live broadcast which was posted to social media at around 1am captured the collapse.

The guard was holding a ceremonial staff when he appeared to faint, with nearby officials quickly rushing to his aid.

As he was tended to, the live vision faded to an exterior, night-time vision of the building. Over an hour later, the broadcast had still not returned to the scene inside the hall.

Soldiers in ceremonial uniform are maintaining a constant, 24-hour vigil around the queen’s coffin while she is lying in state.

The guards are required to remain completely still at the four corners of the catafalque.

While the soldiers rotate every 20 minutes, the time remaining completely still while standing are six-hours in length.

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Crowds gather in London as queen's coffin to go on display

The incident happened on the first night of the queen’s lying in state which gives members of the public an opportunity to pay respects to the late monarch.

Thousands have queued overnight to file past the coffin, with the line stretching over four kilometres this morning.

The coffin will lie in state for four days until the queen’s funeral on Monday.