A young child tourist was apparently trampled by a marching guardsman while visiting the Tower of London on Wednesday.
In a viral video, a soldier of the Coldstream Guards — the oldest continuously serving regular regiment of the British Army — was seen barreling over a young child who had accidentally stepped in front of the marching soldier.
In the footage, the guardsman was heard shouting “make way” before allegedly trying to step over the child and seemingly treading on the fallen youngster’s foot.
The video was posted on the social media platform TikTok by an anonymous user, who wrote that the footage demonstrated that “nobody is safe”.
An on-screen caption in the video said: “My sister went to England; first day in.”
Confirming the incident, spokesman for the Tower of London told the Express and Star: “We are aware of this incident and were sorry to see this.
“The guard at the Tower do take care to warn the public when they’re moving, and this was an unfortunate accident. Our staff and the soldier checked in on the family afterwards, and were reassured that all was well.”
@user7312510220627 Nobody is safe #england #royalguards #foryou #foryoupage #london ♬ original sound – user7312510220627
A British Army spokesman also confirmed the veracity of the video, saying: “We are aware of an incident at the Tower of London earlier today during a routine patrol.”
The spokesman added that the guard had “warned members of the public that a patrol was approaching, but the child, unfortunately, ran out in front of the soldier unexpectedly”.
“The soldier tried to step over the child and continued on his duty. Following the incident, the soldier checked on the child and was reassured that all was well,” the spokesman concluded.
The Coldstream Guards is primarily an infantry unit within the British Army, however as the oldest continuously serving regiment it also performs ceremonial duties such as serving as protectors outside royal palaces such as Windsor Castle and Buckingham Palace as well as the Tower of London.
Under the Tower of London’s section on the Historic Royal Palace’s website, a guide for visitors states: “Please be aware that sentries on duty are serving military personnel.
“Visitors are advised to be respectful and stand clear when the guards are marching and performing their official duties.”
Follow Kurt Zindulka on Twitter here @KurtZindulka