A soldier from the King’s Guard loudly screamed at a tourist who had attempted to take a photo with him. The intense moment was captured by bystanders outside Buckingham Palace and shared on the popular TikTok channel thekingsguardsofficial. The account often shares clips of confrontations between the King’s Guard and persistent tourists.
The viral clip shows a woman leaning in for a photo with the guard, who is dressed in full armour outside Buckingham Palace on a sunny day.
When the tourist tries to put her arm around him, the soldier snaps.
He stamps his foot and turns towards her, holding a large sword, and yells: “Do not touch the King’s Life Guard!”
The woman is left shaken by the reaction, which drew a divided opinion on the social media platform.
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Similar clips on the account show tourists trying to grab hold of the horses’ reins while the soldiers are sitting atop the animal.
In those clips, the soldier often shouts: “Stand back! Let go of the rein!”
The King’s Guard is the name given to the group of soldiers responsible for guarding Buckingham Palace and St James’s Palace.
The guards typically stand still while on sentry duty, which lasts for two hours, before they earn a four-hour break.
The soldiers are under strict orders to not grin or laugh while on duty, which can result in a £200 fine.
Several were supportive of the explosive reactions, with one user, Mangochutney45, writing: “Do not touch the reins, it’s not difficult!”
CRASH666 added: “Shouts like crazy? I think that was more than called for, I actually feel like he held back.”
However, Darius expressed sympathy for the tourist, saying: “I feel like they should have a sign saying not to touch that part since a lot of tourists won’t know they can’t do that.”
Others called the guard’s reaction “impolite and dramatic”.
The split reaction comes as the world’s eyes turn to London ahead of King Charles’ Coronation next month.
Tourists are expected to flood the streets of the capital in anticipation of the event.
