Moment tourist is sent sprawling to the floor after being ‘headbutted’ by King’s Guard horse outside Buckingham Palace
SHOCKING footage shows the moment a tourist is sent sprawling to the floor after being “headbutted” by a King’s Guard horse.
The King’s Guard is known for its sentry duty outside Buckingham Palace.
There are nearby signs warning tourists that the horses “may kick of bite” and explicitly telling them not to touch the reigns.
But one woman may have got too close for comfort in an incident shared to X, formerly Twitter.
Footage shows the woman posing for photos next to the horse with a young man.
The horse then moves its head forward slightly to nudge the woman, who then stumbles forwards before faceplanting onto the ground.
She stays on the floor for a while as people attend to her and ask if she is ok.
Two men gently help the woman up and she pauses on her knees before a third man comes over to help her back on to her feet.
Once she gets up she can be seen repeatedly clutching her nose while talking to police officers.
The King’s Guard themselves also often tell tourists to move away and not touch the horses as they will react by pushing them.
While the gathered crowd seemed shocked by the dramatic fall, others on social media were less convinced.
Users on X, formerly Twitter, commented underneath the video comparing the woman’s fall to diving seen in football.
While others slammed her for overreacting and said she was “trying to start an insurance claim”.
One wrote: “Not headbutted, just nudged. Not thrown to the ground, flopped like someone trying to start an insurance claim.”
Another agreed, commenting: “‘I reckon she could give any Premier League footballer a run for their money with that professional foul!”
Meanwhile a third quipped: “This dive would make even Cristiano Ronaldo proud.”
The original video footage is understood to have been taken around October last year but has now gone viral after being uploaded to Twitter.
The King’s Guard, formerly known as the Queen’s Guard, have long been a subject of intrigue and fascination for tourists worldwide, who visit Buckingham Palace just to witness them firsthand.
They consist of soldiers from The Grenadier Guards, The Coldstream Guards, The Scots Guards, The Irish Guards and The Welsh Guards.
Commonly known for wearing bright red tunics and bearskins, their uniform is one of the most recognisable symbols of London.
But the troupe are not just ceremonial, they are all actual soldiers.
The King’s Guard are generally not allowed to interact with the public, but may shout if they get too close or present their bayonets if they become aggressive.
Guards must continue regardless of the weather, with rain causing their bearskins to become significantly heavier and hot weather resulting in a higher risk of heat stroke.
Huge crowds gather to watch the Changing of the Guard ceremony in London.
You can see the Changing of the Guard on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays between August and May.
In June and July the ceremony occurs everyday.
The official change usually starts at 11am, but guards will begin to leave the Royal Barracks and St. James’ Palace by 10.30am.