Tourist collapses after being bitten by King’s Guard horse while taking photo
A tourist hoping to get an iconic photo with the King's Guard ended up collapsing after the horse lashed out at her.
The incident took place recently outside Buckingham Palace, where floods of tourists gathered to wait their turn for a photograph with the uniformed guard on the tall black horse.
A staple of the London tourism scene, the King’s Life Guard is conducted by soldiers of the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment at Horse Guards.
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The officers are tasked with guard duties, but tourists are able to stand alongside them for a photo - at their own risk.
While the guards themselves won't bite, a sign next to one of the guard positions warns tourists that the horses 'may kick or bite'.
"Don't touch the reigns," it adds.
The sign is presumably intended to prevent tourists from getting too close, but footage shared online shows many people taking the risk for a better photo.
One such woman quickly learned that the sign wasn't just for show when she attempted to get her photo, jumping in alongside the horse just as another tourist stepped out of the way.
See the video below. Warning: Explicit Language:
It seems the horse may have been startled by the sudden movement, as it suddenly snapped its head towards the woman and clamped its teeth around her arm.
The woman cried out as the horse dragged her towards its body before she managed to pull her arm free, at which point she ran back towards the crowd.
Though obviously surprised, the woman seemed relatively OK at first as she was comforted by other people in her party.
Things soon took a turn, however, as the camera later turned back to her to show her bending down towards the floor with people gathered around her, concerned.
The man behind the camera, who goes by Buska in the Park (@busk1976) on YouTube, learned the woman had collapsed as a result of the incident, prompting the King's Guard to ask him to fetch armed officers who were also in the area.
The YouTuber obliged and pointed the officers in the direction of the woman, who was still on the ground as they approached.
The video of the incident was uploaded to YouTube on July 21 and has already amassed more than 40,000 views, as well as hundreds of comments from viewers sharing their thoughts.
The general consensus from viewers is the tourists should pay better attention to the signs in the area when attempting to get their photos, with one writing: "Stop running up to the horse for goodness sake ! Read the signs!"
"The signs are there for a reason please read them," another added.
In a comment to UNILAD, the YouTuber who shared the clip said the woman 'walked away fine' after the incident.
Topics: UK News, London, Royal Family
Emily Brown