Two French guards collapse during presidential ceremony at Elysee Palace

Two French honour guards collapsed outside the Élysée Palace in Paris on Wednesday as President Emmanuel Macron prepared to welcome Slovak President Peter Pellegrini, according to Euronews and the Daily Mail. Euronews, Yahoo News Singapore, Haberler.com, and Zamin.uz all reported that both guards collapsed during the official welcoming ceremony. [1][2][3][4][5]

Video footage cited by the Daily Mail shows one guard staggering, lowering his sword, and collapsing against a pillar behind him, hitting his head. President Macron and several others immediately rushed toward the guard before security personnel carried him away, the Daily Mail reported. The Daily Mail added that seconds later, a sword was heard clattering to the ground off camera, triggering a startled reaction. [1][2]

As FTMQ News reported earlier, palace staff and President Macron rushed to assist the initial guard who fell before the guard was carried away from the scene. Euronews reported that the fallen soldiers were part of the honour guard assembled specifically for President Pellegrini's official visit to France. [1][7]

The incident briefly interrupted the official welcoming proceedings, according to Euronews and Haberler.com. It occurred amid a wider backdrop of French civil unrest, where nationwide demonstrations over economic and school conditions have involved an estimated 575,000 to 1.57 million participants since September 2026. [1][4][6]