Fainting Moments That Stole The Show At 7 Major Royal Events

No group of people have more engagements to attend than royals. Royal events happen often, with each one garnering significant attention. Whether it's a state dinner with a foreign dignitary or a public outing replete with crowds and a cavalcade, people around the world love checking in to see what happens at these affairs.

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Most of the time, the same sequence of events occur at a royal public appearance: Photographers line the way to snap new photos of the most prominent royals in attendance, the public hang on to the royal family's every move for noteworthy news, and royal outfits are reported on — especially if there's an outfit-repeat or if a family heirloom is worn.

Royal events are typically not gripping news, because if all goes as planned, nothing particularly newsworthy happens. But every now and again, something out of the ordinary occurs, like a person fainting, and it grabs everyone's attention. While people fainting at royal events doesn't happen regularly, it takes place more than you might think. Here are seven fainting moments that stole the show at royal events.

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Princess Beatrice once fainted during a service on a balcony

One major part of royal life is appearing a balcony. Balconies are a good way to make royals accessible and visible to the public, and there generally isn't much commotion associated with them — aside from the fanfare the royal family experiences once they step out onto this spectating platform. But Remembrance Day in 1999 brought with it more excitement on a balcony than one had seen in years. Princess Beatrice, a young girl at the time, fainted while standing on a balcony during the service.

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Beatrice's mother, Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York, was in the United States at the time, but the young royal was caught by Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh (Countess of Wessex at the time). All things considered, Beatrice's fainting issue was not a huge ordeal. The adults on the balcony appeared to usher Beatrice back inside. Thankfully, it didn't turn into one of the tragedies of Princess Beatrice's life. She did not fall, and she was not hurt.

One of the queen's guards fainted at Trooping the Colour

Guards fainting at royal events is nothing new, and plenty of royal guards fainted in the presence of Queen Elizabeth II, as well. In 2017, at Trooping the Colour, Elizabeth and her family arrived for the event on what most found to be a beautiful day. But as some members of the media pointed out, beautiful weather doesn't always bode well for those standing long hours in uniform, and it certainly didn't that day. 

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Multiple royal guards fainted at the event, with some having to be carried off on stretchers. "We can confirm that during the Queen's birthday parade today a small number of soldiers fainted," an army spokesperson said, per The Telegraph. "It is an extremely hot day and all were removed from the parade and checked by medical staff where they were hydrated."

Anyone who's paid attention to royal events for a long period of time knows that royal guards faint from time to time, and as it turns out, fainting is part of their instruction. As Major Dai Bevan told Hello!, royal guards learn how to "faint to attention," and it's a sign of a well-trained soldier. But it does come with its downsides. "It will probably involve a broken nose and a whole lot of missing teeth," Bevan said.

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One of the Queen's Household Cavalry soldiers fainted onto the street

Remembrance Sunday, a holiday in the United Kingdom, is celebrated each year in November. It's a day for citizens to honor military members who've died in service since World War I, a holiday not unlike Memorial Day in the United States. Each year, the Windsors attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Cenotaph, a war memorial in London, and in 2021, the ceremony was met with some extra excitement as a member of the Queen's Household Cavalry fainted head-first onto the street (via Express). The media did not know what caused the soldier's fall, and the incident was especially unusual given the time of year.

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Remembrance Sunday was already unusual that year as Queen Elizabeth II was not in attendance like she usually was. "Her Majesty is disappointed that she will miss the service," the palace shared ahead of the ceremony, per the Daily Mail. "As in previous years, a wreath will be laid on Her Majesty's behalf by the Prince of Wales." The monarch ended up not attending any more Remembrance Sunday ceremonies as Queen Elizabeth died the following September.

Lady Gabriella Kingston fainted in front of Queen Elizabeth II's coffin

A family member's death is never easy, but it comes with especially unique circumstances and responsibilities when that family member is a monarch. Lady Gabriella Kingston, one of the queen's cousins, fainted in front of the late monarch's coffin surrounded by scores of mourners. Gabriella and other members of the royal family were paying their respects to the late queen while her coffin was on display at Westminster Hall. Gabriella left Westminster after her fainting spell, but the media suspected she was in good health following the incident as the rest of her immediate family remained at the event. Gabriella was also in attendance for Elizabeth's official funeral, and did not appear to be ill.

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Lady Gabriella had many connections to the late monarch. The two shared a birthday, and sources have said they had a close relationship. Queen Elizabeth attended Lady Gabriella's wedding in 2019, and a photo of the two embracing on the special day went viral, showing just how unique their bond was.

A royal guard fell face-first in front of the queen's coffin

After Queen Elizabeth II's heartbreaking death, the United Kingdom essentially shut down for days and actively mourned for weeks. Elizabeth's coffin was on display at Westminster Hall to allow the public to pay their respects, and while some were visiting, a royal guard fainted in front of the casket. Bystanding officials came to the soldier's aid, and the BBC even stopped its live stream for a brief time in the wake of the incident.

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A journalist for the Independent, Maryam Zakir-Hussain, was present for the collapse, and documented how the mood shifted amid the period of chaos. "There was a deep silence in the room that felt heavy with symbolism and reverence. But this was abruptly interrupted when a royal guard positioned in front of the coffin suddenly collapsed," Zakir-Hussain said. The collective focus quickly returned to the matter at hand. "For a few moments, the focus of the world had been diverted from the Queen to this poor man but once the queue got moving again, the coffin again commanded the attention of all in the room," the journalist added.

Princess Sophie fainted during her royal wedding

The year 2023 was quite a time for royal faintings. In May of that year, Princess Sophie passed out at her wedding to Prince Ludwig of Bavaria. "A spokesperson confirmed, that Princess Sophie fainted during the wedding this morning. After a drink she was fine again and the ceremony continued," royal journalist ChristinZ shared on X. "'The bride fell backwards, the groom caught her. The maid of honours rushed over, paramedics brought her water. She felt well again straight away. Prince Leopold of Bavaria gave her a piece of glucose,'" they added, quoting the German newspaper Bild.

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Because Princess Sophie was marrying into a royal family, her fainting spell was certainly more publicized than other similar incidents, but fainting at a wedding is by no means a new phenomenon. In the early '90s, the Los Angeles Times dug into marital blackouts, with those in the wedding industry giving their theories as to why it's so common. One said that men faint because they don't want to show their emotions and faint instead, and another said that women faint due to stress and dieting. Psychiatrist Howard Jay Cohen had a different explanation. "People blame all kinds of emotional reactions on all kinds of things. More often than not, there is some bigger emotional issue for this person than they (are) willing to admit to," Cohen said. Whatever the cause for fainting at weddings may be, royals, apparently, are not immune.

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A royal guard fainted outside of Windsor Castle during the Order of the Garter procession

While most incidents of royal guards fainting occurred during rehearsals, one collapse took place at a major royal event, adding more to the concern some already felt in the wake of these faintings. In June 2023, the royal family was on its way to Windsor Castle for the Order of the Garter, the oldest of all the Orders of Chivalry in Britain. Just before the Windsors arrived at the castle, one of the Household Cavalry fainted in the street. The soldier landed face-down on the ground, and officials who weren't tasked with standing completely still for the duration of the event quickly helped him up as the procession went on.

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Earlier that month, another guard fainted while rehearsing for Trooping the Colour. Other guards ran to him, offering him a stretcher, but ultimately escorted him away from the group. The fainting led the media to discuss how rising temperatures in England led to guards collapsing, with some arguing the uniform and behavior required of British soldiers may no longer be conducive with the weather. Prince William, who served in the military himself, was even prompted to comment on the incident. "A big thank you to every solider who took part in the Colonel's Review this morning in the heat. Difficult conditions but you all did a really good job. Thank you. W," the royal tweeted.

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