Several British soldiers were overcome by heat and fainted in scorching London weather during a royal military parade.
At least three guardsmen fainted during the Colonel's Review as temperatures exceeded 30C for the first time in the United Kingdom this year. More than 1400 soldiers and 200 horses from the Household Division of Welsh, Irish, Scottish, Grenadier, and Coldstream Guards were part of Saturday's parade. They were inspected by Prince William, who is honorary Colonel of the Welsh Guards.
As part of the ceremony, soldiers and horses carried out complex battlefield drill manoeuvres to military music.
Photos of the troops showed them in full uniform, including bearskin caps, keeled over in the hot weather. One trombone player tried to get up and play again after fainting, but he was walked away by medics. Another soldier was seen being taken away on a stretcher.
Prince William later paid tribute to the troops on social media, saying: "A big thank you to every soldier who took part in the Colonel's Review this morning in the heat. Difficult conditions but you all did a really good job."
He also shared several photos from the occasion, writing that the "hard work and preparation that goes into an event like this is a credit to all involved, especially in today's conditions".
The Colonel's Review was a rehearsal for Trooping the Colour, which is an annual military parade held in June to mark the monarch's official birthday. King Charles III will oversee the ceremony next Saturday on June 17.
