This is the charming moment a King's Guard horse appeared to reward a thrilled little girl with a 'kiss' after she made a generous gift.
The footage, taken outside St James' Palace, showed the girl and her mother slowly walk towards the King's Guard to pose for a picture.
The girl was filmed as she slipped some cash into the guard's boot, an age-old custom which was rewarded with a 'kiss' from the horse.
@royalguards_england21 The girl put cash in the guard's boot and then the horse kissed her in gratitude ❤️🥰 #fyp #fyp #london #creatorsearchinsights #kingsguard #royalguard #royalguard
♬ original sound - Royalguards England
Horses can act unpredictably when stressed and the public are often warned not to take liberties.
See also: Where to see the King’s Guard in London
Warning signs urge tourists not to touch the animals, with one stating: "Beware, horses may kick or bite."
But in this case, the soldier appeared to be touched by the little girl's gesture and he gently prompted the horse to greet her.
The horse gently brushed its face on the little girl's forehead, while she grinned in delight.
The heartwarming clip has garnered 2.5 million views on the @royalguards_england21 TikTok account.
Placing money in a King's Guard boot is a rare an antiquated custom, said to bring good luck, but tourists aren't usually encouraged to carry out the practice.
Some people view the action as undermining the guards' authority, while others point out the small sums are often donated to soldiers' charities.
But the practice attracted plenty of attention on Tiktok, with users praising the “respectful” gesture from the little girl and her mother.
One person said: "Horses know the genuine ones... Great gesture by the family and the horse appreciated it."
Another wrote: "This is how it should be done, ask first, then show complete respect. Well done young lady."
A third added: "Horses understand the body language and the respect people have! They truly can feel people's emotions and presence!"
In July last year, a female tourist was shocked to be bitten by a horse from the King's Guard as she tried to pose for a photo on Whitehall in central London.
Footage posted online shows the moment the woman, wearing a black baseball cap and a Pink Floyd T-shirt, cries out in pain as the unsettled animal turns and gets hold of her right arm.
Other footage uploaded to X, formerly Twitter, and TikTok show a string of similar incidents.
Horse behaviour expert Suzanne Rogers said: “These horses are highly trained but they are made to stand in a small area for long periods of time. So it might not be what the tourists themselves did - it might be the result of a lot of triggers.
“It’s interesting because there’s a sign directly next to the horse that says the horses may bite or kick and ‘please don’t touch the reins’.
“Maybe they should say ‘please don’t touch any part of the horse’, because it’s being in that close proximity to multiple people over a long period that the horses can, feel very uncomfortable with.”
