Emmanuel Macron rushes to help guard who collapses at Élysée Palace; watch

The guard was subsequently attended to by staff and taken away from the scene (Photo: @cbsnews/Instagram)

A tense moment unfolded at France’s Élysée Palace on Wednesday when a member of the Republican Guard collapsed just feet away from French President Emmanuel Macron during the official welcome ceremony for Slovak President Peter Pellegrini.

The incident occurred as Macron prepared to greet Pellegrini, who was visiting Paris for an official meeting with the French president. When the guard suddenly collapsed, Macron and palace staff immediately rushed to help him.

The guard was subsequently attended to by staff and taken away from the scene.

Watch here:

‘Enough of this nonsense’

The video quickly gained momentum, sparking a deluge of reactions. “This is what happens when people are used as statues. Enough of this nonsense,” a user wrote. “Someone is behind him fainting but the other guard is still standing still. Humanity,” another user commented.

“In Boot Camp, you see this all the time because people lock out both knees and the blood doesn’t flow and they faint,” a third user reacted.

According to French media reports, a second member of the Republican Guard also collapsed moments later, raising concerns over the condition of the two personnel.

The incidents briefly disrupted the formal proceedings, which were being held to welcome the Slovak president to the French presidential palace, HELLO reported.

However, the cause of the collapses remained unclear, and there was no immediate official confirmation regarding the condition of either guard.