The Queen's Guards are a contingent of infantry and cavalry soldiers whose responsibility it is to guard the official royal residences in the UK.
Recently, a clip went viral after a tourist was shouted at by a Queen’s Life Guard after they grabbed hold of the horse's reigns for a photograph at Horse Guards.
While getting a picture with the Queen’s Guards is a tradition for many visitors to the capital, there are limits to the interaction you can have with the working horses and soldiers.
Overstepping the line can lead to serious consequences – here’s why the Queen’s guards are so aggressive to tourists:
While many may view the Queen’s Guards as simply an attraction for tourists, they are in fact elite soldiers who are there to do just that – protect the life and property of the monarch.
The soldiers come from active regiments in the British Army, and any action deemed threatening, regardless of how minor, can cause them to react forcefully.
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If a member of the public touches them or their horse or invades their space, they are allowed to shout clear verbal commands at them to back off.
Additionally, if a person acts aggressively, the soldiers can present their bayonets and rifle in their direction in a drill movent called “on guard”.
The Queen’s guards can also push members of the public if they are in their way as they patrol their posts.
It may come off as aggressive to tourists, but when you realise that Guards are highly-trained elite soldiers on patrol it’s unsurprising they take their job so seriously.
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