A video of a tourist who was left startled after a Queen's guard screamed at her for touching a horse's reins has gone viral on TikTok.
In the video, after the tourist was seen taking a snapshot of herself and her stepson alongside the guard’s horse while clenching onto its reins the soldier shouted: "Stand back from the Queen's lifeguard, don't touch the reins!"
Originally posted by the stepson of the tourist Ethan (@_phigs), alongside the caption which warned: "We Will Never Return To London After This Incident", an Army spokesperson later responded, as reported by Birmingham Live, after being alerted of the much-discussed incident.
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They 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.”
On TikTok, users have remained sympathetic towards the soldier involved in the altercation, as many prefaced that the guard was simply doing his job, as the rules state that you mustn't touch the horses.
A TikTok user backed them, saying: "They really don’t care if you’re going back I promise you" while a second said: "Serves her right you aren’t allowed to touch the guard."
A third chimed in to advise: "They are not tourist attractions they are soldiers. Don't touch them or go so near to them."
Twitter users were also quick to praise the guard. Tommy said: "Top soldier absolutely. So dangerous to touch any part of a horse and spook them. If she stays away no loss."
Meanwhile, Augstin tweeted: The Queen's guard is part of the armed forces - not Disneyland"
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