Woman sat behind Prince Charles ‘falls asleep’ during Platinum Jubilee Pageant

The Platinum Jubilee celebrations draw to a close this evening but not before one awkward moment during this afternoon’s pageant was caught on live TV – when a woman appeared to have fallen asleep while sitting right behind heir to the throne Prince Charles.

This weekend’s events have seen guests rather unexpectedly steal the limelight, most noticeably young Prince Louis who was pictured making various faces, as well as even shushing his mum, the Duchess of Cambridge during the pageant itself.

But even the prince’s antics have been overshadowed by the awkward video showing one attendee ‘asleep’ right behind the Prince of Wales in the middle of the Queen‘s Jubilee pageant.

The BBC unwittingly caught footage of a woman (bottom left) who appeared to be fast asleep during the jubilee pageant

Footage from the BBC’s live coverage of the £15 million-event caught highlights from the royal box interspersed between images from the parade itself.

As guards processed along the pageant course, the video switches to show Prince Charles watching their progress closely, smartly dressed in a suit and tie.

But just behind the Prince to the left of the image, a woman can be seen with her eyes shut who appears to have nodded off. 

The woman did not seem to find the parade as riveting as the Prince, and rather stole the show on social media

The woman was pictured sleeping as soldiers and military officials led the pageant’s parade

Also in the royal box were the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and their children, the Duchess of Cornwall and Princess Anne (not pictured). Leading politicians such as the PM and Sir Keir Starmer also had prime seats

The clip then switches back to the woman a moment later and viewers can see her head nodding onto her chest, which appears to confirm she is getting some much needed shut-eye.

Incidentally, the boy behind the woman also looks rather sleepy at this point.

Also visible in the video is Home Secretary Priti Patel, dressed in a pink outfit with a silver brooch, in the top right of the picture. 

Viewers of the pageant were quick to notice the awkward moment and took to social media to wonder who the woman was.

‘Who is the woman sleeping behind Prince Charles?’ mused one Twitter user, while another added ‘Oh please who is she?’

The Platinum Jubilee pageant saw thousands of participants take to the streets in all manner of fancy dress

Characters and contributions from all aspects of British life took part in the pageant, from Peppa Pig to the daleks

The pageant marks the end of the Platinum Jubilee weekend which has seen millions celebrate the Queen’s 70-year-reign 

Catherine Jenkins, Chris Eubank, Giles Terera and Cliff Richard can all be seen aboard this Platinum Jubilee bus

Musicians, bands and groups of dancers were all involved in the giant pageant, which cost around £15 million

While some users labelled the woman disrespectful, others saw the funny side.

‘I envy her for being able to sleep through the noisy procession haha I can’t sleep through a bird tweeting,’ said one.

Another tweeted: ‘Jeez how embarrassed will that woman be when she realises the world has noted her falling asleep.’ 

NickiGlamKatt gave updates throughout the pageant, tweeting: ‘There’s a woman sat right behind Charles that’s been in and out of sleep during this whole parade s**t.

‘How is beyond me. All the brass instruments and bag pipes in Britain have passed her. Must have been a right sesh last night.’

In a separate tweet she wrote: ‘She’s asleep again lads. It’s all too much for her.’

One viewer even quipped: ‘The lady behind Prince Charles, in the stand, who’s managed to sleep all the way through the procession must be on a weapon grade tranquiliser.’

Elsewhere in the royal’s seating, Prince Louis once again drew all eyes to him through his hilarious facial expressions, even placing both his hands over his face at one point.

Louis and his mother Kate Middleton clearly have a strong bond as he clung to her neck while enjoying some of the pageant acts

Prince Charles could be seen pointing out some of the acts to his four-year-old grandson

Some young fans were certainly not falling asleep during the performance

But others’ attentions were, like the sleeping woman, drawn elsewhere!

Favourite TV characters from the ages were paraded on one float – including the Wombles, Peppa Pig and Dennis the Menace

Wallace and Gromit, Sean the Sheep and The Gruffalo all made guest appearances in the parade

At the end of the pageant, thousands celebrated the Queen’s balcony appearance by singing the national anthem

Members of the royal guard salute outside Buckingham Palace

National treasure Holly Willoughby waves from atop a pageant bus this afternoon

The pageant made use of the latest technology, with a 3D hologram of the Queen

Playful Prince Louis gets up to mischief AGAIN at the Jubilee after hilarious fly-past antics (but Mike Tindall jokes he was keeping an eye on the spirited four-year-old) 

Playful Prince Louis was up to mischief again at the Jubilee – but his older relative Mike Tindall joked he was keeping an eye on the spirited four-year-old.

Louis sat in the front row of the royal box with his parents the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and siblings Prince George and Princess Charlotte.

He covered his eyes and blew out his cheeks as he watched the carnival Pageant on Sunday.

But former England rugby player Tindall, sitting in the row behind, gestured and pointed to his eyes that he was keeping watch over him, as Kate chuckled at their interaction.

Playful Prince Louis was up to mischief again at the Jubilee – but his older relative Mike Tindall joked he was keeping an eye on the spirited four-year-old

The prince had delighted royal fans by stealing the show on the balcony on Thursday after Trooping the Colour.

He let out a howl and covered his ears during the flypast, and his ‘Gan Gan’ the Queen sweetly interacted with her great-grandson, leaning down to chat to him and point out the planes.

Others in the royal box included Princess Eugenie, who bounced her baby son August on her lap.

The one-year-old was wearing a jumper with a Union flag on the front.

As Prince George stood for part of the parade, he mirrored his father William, both adjusting the front of their jackets at the same time.

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He was also spotted resting his head on his hand during the two-and-a-half-hour show.

The Prince of Wales stood to receive the salute from troops of the Household Division.

He nodded in turn to the 42 units marching round the Queen Victoria memorial.

Other members of the royal family in the box included Princess Beatrice and Zara Tindall with the Tindalls’ two eldest children, Mia and Lena.

But his grandfather Prince Charles drew him onto his knee in an adorably sweet moment, which the young prince seemed to enjoy.

At times, Louis was pictured cocking a snook, put his hands over his mother’s mouth, waved his arms in the air and stood on his seat for a better view. 

And of course, social media loved it – as Abby posted on Twitter: ‘Prince Louis being iconic as always.’

Belle added: ‘Prince Louis’ facial expressions are as legendary as ever.’

Canellecitadelle tweeted: ‘Prince Louis deserves is own meme section! I cant with how expressive his face is!! Love you little bug!’

Of course, the poor woman sitting behind Prince Charles would not have been able to see these entertaining moments – perhaps if she had, she might have stayed awake! 

After the pageant the Queen and close family, including the Prince of Wales and his wife, appeared on the Buckingham Palace balcony.

Her Majesty also thanked the UK on her own social media: ‘When it comes to how to mark 70 years as your Queen, there is no guidebook to follow. It really is a first.

‘But I have been humbled and deeply touched that so many people have taken to the streets to celebrate my Platinum Jubilee.’

‘While I may not have attended every event in person, my heart has been with you all; and I remain committed to serving you to the best of my ability, supported by my family.

‘I have been inspired by the kindness, joy and kinship that has been so evident in recent days, and I hope this renewed sense of togetherness will be felt for many years to come.

‘I thank you most sincerely for your good wishes and for the part you have all played in these happy celebrations.’

The monarch, 96, was greeted by roars from thousands of spectators gathered on The Mall as Britain’s longest-serving head of state was helped onto the balcony.

She was accompanied by Camilla, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, George, Charlotte and Louis.

Pictures showed the Queen chatting to her oldest great-grandchild, Prince George, who appeared to be enjoying himself.

The Cambridges were also pictured as a family, and the Queen, in a bright green outfit, waved to the crowd while standing close to her eldest son and heir. 

The pageant was split into four acts: For Queen and Country with a military parade; The Time of Our Lives progressing through seven decades of culture, music and fashion; Let’s Celebrate telling the story of the Queen’s life in 12 chapters with corgi puppets and carnival creations; and the Happy and Glorious musical spectacle.

Close to 200 national treasures including Sir David Jason, Harry Redknapp, Sandie Shaw, Felicity Kendal, Joe Wicks and Holly Willoughby joined pop sensation Ed Sheeran in a mass rendition of God Save The Queen outside Buckingham Palace at the end of the pageant.

Guardsmen, Gurkhas, Royal Marines and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment in their breastplates and plumed feathers were among the hundreds of servicemen and women who led the way marching along the streets around Buckingham Palace. 

It was during this section that the woman was pictured asleep.

Charles took the salute of various military units when they passed the royal box and he stood to acknowledge the servicemen and women as they passed.

Some 10,000 people including a cast of 6,000 performers are involved in staging the carnival route from Horse Guards, along Whitehall to Admiralty Arch and down The Mall to Buckingham Palace, echoing Her Majesty’s 1953 coronation procession.

British eccentricity was soon to the fore when the cyclists on a menagerie of bikes rode past Buckingham Palace, including a biker dressed as the character Elliot from the sci-fi Movie ET, complete with the Extra Terrestrial in the cycle’s basket.

As the decades flashed by revellers in period 1940s clothes danced the Lambeth Walk and further down The Mall jiving performers represented the 1950s.

Interspersed were iconic vehicles from Morris Minors, rockers on classic motorbikes and Mods on scooters.

Dozens of national treasures also participated, travelling on buses and waving to the crowd.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, along with their three children, all sing the national anthem with the crowd outside Buckingham Palace

The Queen herself looked in excellent spirits as she was accompanied by Prince Charles onto the balcony

The Queen was striking in a beautiful green outfit with hat to match, pearls and a silver brooch

Naomi Campbell was one of many national treasures carried down the Mall on buses

Pop star Ed Sheeran known for hits such as ‘Shape of You’ performed at the end of the pageant to the thousands-strong crowd

The Red Arrows also made an appearance in today’s celebrations in a special tribute to Her Majesty

The Red Arrows have appeared in many major royal events to perform or participate in flyovers as one of the UK’s most iconic aircraft

There was just one slight issue during the pageant, when one classic car carrying Prue Leith broke down

The Pageant is the final event during a four day holiday weekend to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee

They included celebrities from across the years including Katherine Jenkins, Bonnie Langford, Alan Titchmarsh, Basil Brush, Kate Garraway and RuPaul’s Drag Race stars Baga Chipz and Blu Hydrangea, and fashion royalty Kate Moss and Naomi Campbell.

Sir Cliff Richard sang from the 1950s bus, former boxer Chris Eubank posed from the open top-deck of another, and TV presenter Johnny Ball joked on the BBC about the experience on the 1970s bus: ‘It’s all right, but I’m worried I haven’t paid my fare’.

Ed Sheeran also performed live at the pageant at the end of the spectacular. 

There was a slight hiccup amongst the celebrations, however: a series of classic cars carrying celebrities formed a part of the parade.

But one broke down unexpectedly carrying star of The Great British Bake Off, Prue Leith.

A group of marshals wearing high-vis jackets came to the rescue, however, and pushed the vehicle out of the way of the procession.