Overview
- Video published by Reuters shows at least one guard swaying and then collapsing near President Emmanuel Macron, who and presidential aides rushed to assist.
- French media report that both guards were taken to hospital after the incidents, but the presidency has not released an official medical explanation.
- Multiple social‑media clips with different edits make it unclear whether one or two soldiers collapsed and complicate independent verification of the sequence.
- Members of the Garde Républicaine perform long, motionless ceremonial stands in full uniform, a posture that can lower blood pressure and has caused fainting in past warm months.
- Macron continued to receive Slovak President Peter Pellegrini after the first collapse, and the episode could prompt renewed review of medical checks and standing‑duty procedures for ceremonial guards.