A horse belonging to King Charles III’s guard bit a tourist who was posing for a photo in London, highlighting the importance of respecting the animals’ personal space.
Footage captured outside the Household Cavalry Museum on July 22 showed a large crowd of tourists surrounding a soldier and his horse, which appeared unsettled as people approached to pet the animal. Despite a clear warning sign, several tourists attempted to touch the horse, prompting it to nip at them in warning.
One woman, dressed in a black baseball cap and a Pink Floyd shirt, ran up to stand next to the horse, which immediately bit her arm. She cried out in pain before returning to her companions and collapsing on the ground with a visible injury.
This is not the first time tourists have disregarded a royal horse’s warning. Last year, a tourist posing for a photo with a King’s Guard horse was shocked when it bit her ponytail and dragged her off balance. In a separate incident in April 2023, another tourist attempting to take a photo with the King’s Guard was headbutted in the arm by the soldier’s horse.
King Charles HENRY NICHOLLS/POOL/AFP via Getty Images
The United Kingdom Ministry of Defence emphasized the importance of respecting the horses’ personal space, stating, “We want to ensure all those who visit the Horse Guards have an enjoyable time. This area is particularly busy with tourists. Signs clearly display warnings that animals may bite and for tourists to keep their distance. This is for the safety of those on duty and the public.”
The ministry added, “If this is the case, they are actually allowed to shout warnings at you to make you go away. If people start acting aggressively, the soldiers can even present their bayonets to them.”
According to the official website, the Household Cavalry is considered to be the public face of the British Army, both at home and abroad, and is divided into the army’s two most senior regiments: The King’s Life Guards and The Blues & Royals. They carry out mounted ceremonial duties on both State and Royal occasions.
Last month, a tourist outside of Buckingham Palace fell to the ground after a King’s Guard horse seemingly head-butted her in the arm as she was trying to snap a photo, per the Daily Mail.
Tourists aren’t the only ones who have had trouble with royal horses. In June, Princess Anne was airlifted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for injuries to her head sustained during an undisclosed incident with a horse at Gatacomb Park.
Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, confirmed she was “recovering well” after the incident.