A tourist visiting Horse Guards Parade was left stunned on Sunday after being dramatically bitten by one of the King's horses.
The tourist in question, a young woman, had moved next to the animal to pose for a picture - but in an unfortunate turn of events, the horse swiftly turned its head and bit her arm.
In footage uploaded to social media - which has since gone viral - the woman can be heard letting out a squeal after being bitten, while crowds of onlookers gasp in shock.
As fellow tourists surround her to offer help and inspect her bite, she can be heard breathing in sharply and saying: "Oh my god!"
The woman can be heard letting out a squeal after being bitten
YouTube
But then, things take a turn for the worse; the woman, wearing a black cap and black Pink Floyd t-shirt, drops to her knees in the crowd, prompting even more people nearby to rush over and offer help.
One person can be heard asking whether the woman is fainting, while others hold her arm to inspect the bite.
The King's Guard, still atop his horse at his post, can even be heard saying "Can you go and get the police officer?"
Social media users have been quick to highlight, the equine incident went down just as the tourist was standing below a sign reading: "BEWARE: Horses may kick or bite."
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The tourist could be seen dropping to her knees in the crowd
YouTube
One jabbed: "Stop running up to the horse for goodness sake! Read the signs!" - while another added: "This horse is spicy and takes zero prisoners... Don't get so close."
More social media users lamented attitudes around the horses - part of the King's Life Guard, which stands on duty at Horse Guards Parade.
They said: "I will never understand adults' need to go and be in the picture making a V sign, knowing that the horse is bitey.
"Why not just take a photo of the horse? Kids, I get - they want to be in the photo - but if you're scared, as most of them seem to be, stay away."
The bite didn't appear to have drawn blood - but the horse left its mark
YouTube
Another added: "She was standing right there watching the horse try to bite everyone else, but she still rushed up for her photo. Guess she won't do that again!
"As for her follow-up drama, every horse owner will be rolling their eyes. They've all been there, had those bites. That said, the feeling faint is probably real, not an act - that can happen a few minutes after a shock like that, and for her, it was a shock."
This certainly isn't the first instance of an unsuspecting tourist getting too close for comfort to a military horse - a swathe of videos of awkward run-ins have worked their way to social media fame over the years.
But negative reactions to the guardsman's apparent lack of action are likely misplaced; members of the King's Guard are forbidden from interacting with the public - though the occasional shout to move a tourist aside isn't unusual.
