The King’s Life Guard, the mounted guard stationed outside the main entrance to Buckingham Palace, has long attracted the attention of tourists fascinated by the British royal family and its long-standing traditions, in particular the Changing of the Guard. But, a female tourist who went in search of a photo with one of the famed Guard got a lot more than she bargained for, while the horse in question left no one in any doubt that it was up to the task of protecting the monarch. In a video clip , the young woman is seen positioned in line with the horse’s head, ready for her photo opportunity.
While a sign next to the guard warns onlookers that horses may kick or bite, the woman can’t resist raising her hand in an attempt to stroke the animal when it tilts its head to nuzzle her. Yet as she does so, the horse bites down on the arm of her black puffer jacket and is soon tugging at it in an increasingly aggressive manner. Even as the woman tries to move away from the horse, it remains attached to her jacket and, moving its head from side to side and up and down, pulls her this way and that with vigour. While the woman showed signs of fright on her face, she appeared more shocked and bemused by the experience than she was shaken. When the horse releases her jacket after about five seconds of tugging, she looks noticeably relieved before starting to giggle. What seems to shock her the most, though, is the hole in her jacket where the horse bit down to reveal the stuffing. A passerby asks: ‘Is your coat all torn apart now?’ to which she replies with a sheepish ‘Yes’. The King’s Guards are posted for public duties outside Buckingham and St James’s Palaces, and at Horse Guards on Whitehall. Although their role is mostly ceremonial, they are part of the British Army’s Household Division and patrol the palaces, guarding the sovereign at night. Back in September 2023, another tourist got a little too close to a King’s Guards horse and was blasted by the soldier. In the video, a throng of tourists can be seen clamoring around a mounted guard on Horse Guard’s parade, Westminster.
