King's Guard horse bites tourist after she touches it while posing for photo, despite warning
23 May 2024, 11:42
A tourist suffered a nasty shock when she was bitten by a King's Guard horse that she was stroking while posing for a photo.
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The woman reached out to touch the horse's neck as she smiled for a photo at Horse Guards Parade in central London.
But the horse appeared to get irritated and reached round to bite the woman, who stumbled back, startled.
Footage of the incident has gone viral, garnering hundreds of thousands of views.
The man who was taking the photo comforted her and they walked off.
In line with protocol, the King's Guard horseman himself did not move during the entire incident.
Read more: Army issues update on Household Cavalry horses seriously injured in rampage across London
I know I shouldn’t laugh 😂 pic.twitter.com/tcqKNFZs6P
— Darren Grimes (@darrengrimes_) May 21, 2024
The woman touched the horse despite a sign warning tourists that says: "Beware! Horses may kick or bite.”
The King's Guard is usually staffed by the Household Cavalry, who made headlines in April when two of their horses were seriously injured during a rampage across London in April.
Quaker, a Cavalry black, and a grey called Vida bolted off after being spooked by builders moving rubble while they were on an extended exercise in Belgravia with five other horses and six soldiers from the Household Cavalry
The two horses are said to be making progress in their recovery.
The job of the Household Cavalry is to protect the monarch and serve as the "public face" of the army. Although they are popular subjects for tourists taking photos, they are not allowed to interact with the public.
A description on their website reads: "The Household Cavalry is made up of the two most senior regiments in the British Army: The Life Guards and The Blues & Royals. It is divided into the Household Cavalry Regiment and the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment.
"Since 1660, the soldiers of Household Cavalry have acted as the monarch’s trusted guardians, as well as being the public face of the British Army both at home and abroad."
