A member of the Queen’s guard has been filmed screaming at a female tourist who got too close to his horse. The footage has been uploaded to TikTok by user (@Buska1976) who vowed not to return to London following the incident.
It shows the social media user’s step-mum moving towards the soldier who was mounted on top of a tall black horse outside Buckingham Palace after queuing up to pose for a picture. As the photo is being taken, she reaches over to hold the horse’s reins, causing the animal to become visibly unsettled.
This prompts the soldier to shout: “Stand back from the Queen’s lifeguard, don’t touch the reins!” The loud command startles the blonde-haired woman, who quickly moves away in shock immediately after being shouted at.
The incident caused the TikTok user to promise never to go back to the capital in protest over his step-mum’s treatment, according to Mirror Online.
But some users on the social media platform had little sympathy for the woman in the video. Some commented that, in their opinion, the woman was at fault, adding that the Queen’s guard is part of the armed forces - not Disneyland.
One wrote: “It’s not Disney they are working horses and serving army.”
A second commented: “They really don’t care if you’re going back I promise you”, and a third remarked: “Serves her right you aren’t allowed to touch the guard.”
One person in the comments section recalled being allowed to grab the reins for a picture after asking permission from a soldier. An Army Spokesperson said: “We take all incidents like this seriously and want to ensure all those who visit Horse Guards have an enjoyable time.
“This area is particularly busy with tourists and on occasions the soldiers undertaking Guard duty need to shout loudly to alert members of the public if they get too close to the horses, which happened in this case.
“We have signs placed alongside the horse boxes, stating that the horses bite and would always encourage the public not to get close to horses, as after all, they are animals and can be unpredictable.”
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