Field Marshal Charles Guthrie has fallen from his horse and landed heavily on his head as he rode outside Buckingham Palace during Trooping The Colour. The 79-year-old was rushed to hospital after being treated at the scene by paramedics, but aides said he was being 'well looked after'.
Lord Guthrie slumped in his saddle and appeared to faint and fell sideways to his left, right in front of Buckingham Palace in the middle of The Mall. Nearby police immediately rushed to his aid until paramedics arrived and two senior army officers trotting beside him stopped and looked distressed. Several policemen were seen working on him with one cradling his head with his eyes still open, having pulled off his golden helmet (inset). Photos shot before Guthrie fell showed Colonel Crispin Lockhart trying to prop him up as he slumped back in his horse at a 45-degree angle and closed his eyes.
A witness said she saw Lord Guthrie looking 'off' as he was riding in the parade and the riders next to him seemed concerned.
'[He was] leaning back whilst riding, not going with movements of the horse, and his flanking officers seemed to be riding close,' she said.
Another witness said they saw Lord Guthrie slumped back in his saddle looking like he was 'going to faint' and as he rode through The Mall he began to shake.
Numerous people wished the decorated commander a speedy recovery on social media, including Air Force veteran John Nichol.
'Really hope all is OK - a nicer General Officer you could not hope to meet. Wishing you well Sir,' he wrote.
Lord Guthrie was chief of army general staff from 1994 to 1997 and chief of defence staff from 1997 until his retirement in 2001.
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