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Emmanuel Macron interrupted the ceremony at the Élysée after a member of the honor guard collapsed on the steps

Medeea Stănescu

12 November 2026, 08:08

International

Macron / Foto: Shutterstock

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A member of the guard of honor collapsed on the steps of the Élysée Palace on Wednesday, during the official welcoming ceremony for Slovak President Peter Pellegrini. The incident took place near Emmanuel Macron, who interrupted the protocol event and approached the serviceman to check on the situation.

The serviceman was immediately surrounded by his colleagues, who administered first aid. He was subsequently taken inside the palace to receive medical attention. So far, the authorities have provided no information about his condition or the cause of the collapse.

After the serviceman’s colleagues intervened, Emmanuel Macron stepped away, then returned to the ceremony and welcomed Peter Pellegrini. The two heads of state exchanged a few words and embraced as the serviceman was taken away for medical care.

The incident recalls two similar situations in Romania. In 2019, an American serviceman fainted during a speech delivered by Klaus Iohannis on Navy Day and was taken to the military hospital in Constanța. In 2020, a serviceman fell ill at a ceremony attended by the former president, who approached the ambulance to find out about the young woman’s condition.

Context: Macron recently called for security measures and managed several internal crises at the Élysée Palace

Before the incident at the Élysée, French President Emmanuel Macron had public-agenda warnings about Russia’s hybrid attacks on Europe, following a meeting at the Élysée Palace with the leaders of political parties. He called for preparations for measures to protect cities, critical infrastructure, and facilities in the defense industry, noting that work was already underway in Paris on a protection plan against drone attacks.

At the same time, Macron also intervened directly in managing protests in France: he called for calm and announced that the routes of the scheduled demonstrations would be kept outside city centers, following the violence on October 17. In parallel, he also convened a crisis meeting in Paris to discuss the spread of protests concerning conditions in education.