Police officer stretchered away after collapsing outside Westminster Abbey

A police officer was stretchered away after fainting while on duty outside Westminster Abbey in London. The Metropolitan Police officer collapsed shortly before the Queen's funeral procession walked down the Mall.

He fell forward near Parliament square. Medics rushed him away on a stretcher just minutes before the Queen’s coffin came through.

His condition remains unconfirmed but is not thought to be serious, reports the Mirror. It comes after a Royal guard fainted and fell off the podium where he was protecting the Queen's coffin on Thursday.

Read more:Queen's funeral LIVE as nation comes to a standstill for state funeral of Elizabeth II

There were gasps from mourners as he fell to the ground which was caught in a video. It happened as a set of guards were beginning to swap duties and one appeared to be trembling before seconds later falling.

Two police officers could be seen racing over to pick him up before the video cut out and then went to images of the Houses of Parliament.

Officers have faced a mammoth job in keeping huge crowds, royalty and a long list of world leaders - as well as other dignitaries - safe during the state funeral. More than 3,000 officers from almost every force in the country are helping police in London.

Metropolitan Police Deputy Assistant Commissioner Stuart Cundy said “nothing can compare” to the “hugely complex” task, describing it as the “largest policing operation” in the Met’s history. Monday signalled the “final and most complex phase” of the operation after the death of the monarch, he said.

The scale surpassed the operation for the Platinum Jubilee weekend and the London 2012 Olympics, which saw up to 10,000 police officers on duty per day. Former counter-terrorism police chief