Heartwarming moment King's Guard bursts into tears after being surprised by her parents

By Poppy Atkinson Gibson 20:25 06 Jul 2024, updated 01:19 09 Jul 2024

This is the heartwarming moment a King's Guard bursts into tears after being surprised by her parents while on duty int he pouring rain. 

Crowds gathered around the soldier in the heavy rain outside Buckingham Palace, posing for pictures next to the stoic guard's horse.

As a crowd gathered and tourists come forward to stroke the horse's nose, the guard remains still and calm until she spots her parents in the crowd.

The soldier starts to tear up and her face begins to crumple as her mother and father emerge from a sea of umbrellas and come to the front of the throng of tourists. 

As her father, in a black mac and rucksack, strokes the nose of the horse, he seems to chatter away to his emotional daughter who tries to keep her tears at bay.

Her mother then comes to the front of the crowd and asks her daughter a question which she subtly nods at before breaking down in tears and wiping her eyes with her white gloves. 

A member of the crowd asks the trio if they would like a picture and they nod as other tourists push in to get a quick nap with the guard and her horse as her parents patiently wait on the sidelines in the pouring rain. 

The guard regains herself before her parents poise proudly on either side of thee well-behaved horse, smiling with their hands tucked into the pockets of the fleece and coat and trying not to get too soaked by the blustery showers.

They then move away and a phone is handed back tot he mother who looks at the screen, seemingly pleased with the photo before moving away.

Other tourists then continue to stand in front of the guard, stroking the horse and posing, seemingly unaware of the emotional encounter the soldier has just had. 

The video then shows the guard's father proudly snapping his daughter astride the brown steed, sticking to her duty and remaining unmoved and un-distracted by the hords of tourists.

Later on in the video, the mother returns to her daughter's side, stroking the horse and speaking briefly to her daughter. 

The pair have a brief conversation before the guard kicks her horse and re-adjusts her position in the guard's archway as tourists continue to flock to the iconic landmark. 

The emotional encounter is a far cry form the usual run-ins the King's Guards have with members of the public.

Despite a sign clearly stating that horses may kick and bite, tourists continue to pose alongside them, often at their peril. 

Last month tourist hurtled to the pavement outside Buckingham Palace after she was seemingly headbutted by a King's Guard horse - although not everyone watching was convinced.

The video showed a curly-haired woman standing and smiling next to a black horse as she posed for photos before the horse nudged her.

The woman then dramatically fell to the pavement, landing face down as her bag flew out away from her and a gathered crowd let out a concerned 'ooh'.

In May, a King's Guard horse bit a tourist after she touched the animal while posing for a photo.

Video footage, which went viral on social media with over 855,000 views, shows the woman putting her hand on the horse's neck while posing for a photograph.

The horse then swung its head towards the woman before clamping down on her saree.

Despite many considering them tourist attractions, the King's Guard consist of elite serving soldiers who are tasked with protecting the monarch's life and properties.

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.

The soldiers must not let anything distract them from their duties - with toilet breaks banned during two hour shifts - and will march through anyone in their way.

While tourists can take photos of them, armed officers stationed near them will step in if they get too close or behave disrespectfully.

A sign next to the guard warns onlookers that horses may kick or bite, telling them not to touch the reins.