This is the heartwarming moment a royal guard breaks down in tears after being surprised by her parents while on duty in the pouring rain.
In the heavy rain, large crowds gathered around the soldier outside Buckingham Palace, posing for photographs beside the guard’s stoic horse.
As a crowd gathers and tourists come forward to pet the horse’s nose, the guard remains silent and calm until she spots her parents in the crowd.
The soldier begins to cry and her face begins to contort, as her mother and father emerge from a sea of umbrellas and appear at the front of the crowd of tourists.
As her father, dressed in a black raincoat and backpack, strokes the horse’s nose, he appears to chat to his emotional daughter, who is trying to hold back her tears.
A somber royal guard begins to cry as her mother and father gather around her patient horse to greet her as she guards Buckingham Palace in the rain
The soldier was surprised when her parents emerged from a sea of umbrellas and pushing tourists to chat with her as she continued her work
The stunned soldier wipes away her tears with her spotless white gloves as her father chats briefly with her
Her mother then steps forward and asks her daughter a question. Her daughter nods subtly, but then bursts into tears and wipes her eyes with her white gloves.
Someone from the audience asks the trio if they want to have their picture taken. They nod as other tourists push in to take a quick nap with the guard and her horse, while her parents wait patiently on the sidelines in the pouring rain.
The guard pulls herself together for her parents, who stand proudly on either side of the good horse. They laugh with their hands in the pockets of their coats and jackets, trying not to get too wet in the chilly showers.
Then they walk away and hand the phone back to the mother. She looks at the screen with satisfaction and looks at the picture with satisfaction before walking away.
Other tourists stand in front of the guard, petting the horse and posing, seemingly oblivious to the emotional encounter the soldier has just had.
The video then shows the guard’s father proudly photographing his daughter on the brown horse. She does her job and is not distracted by the hordes of tourists.
Later in the video, the mother returns to her daughter, pets the horse and speaks briefly to her daughter.
The pair have a brief conversation before the guard kicks her horse and changes her position in the guard’s gate as tourists continue to stream towards the iconic monument.
The proud parents then posed with their daughter at her guard post before the hordes of tourists came down once again to pose in the rain and pet the horse.
The emotional encounter is very different from the usual confrontations the Royal Guard has with the public.
Despite a sign clearly stating that horses are allowed to kick and bite, tourists continue to pose next to the horses, often risking their own lives.
Last month, a tourist ended up on the pavement outside Buckingham Palace after being headbutted by a horse from the Royal Guard. Not everyone watching was convinced, however.
The video showed a woman with curly hair standing next to a black horse, smiling, posing for photos until the horse nudged her.
The woman then fell dramatically onto the sidewalk, landing face down. Her purse flew off her, and a group of people let out a concerned ‘ooh’.
In May, a Royal Guard horse bit a tourist after she touched the animal while posing for a photo.
Video footage, which went viral on social media and has been viewed more than 855,000 times, shows the woman placing her hand on the horse’s neck as she poses for a photo.
The horse then turned its head towards the woman and then clung to her sari.
Although many view the Guard as a tourist attraction, the Royal Guard is made up of elite soldiers tasked with protecting the life and property of the monarch.
The Royal Guard is generally not allowed to have contact with the public, but can shout if he gets too close or draw his bayonet if he becomes aggressive.
The soldiers must not be distracted from their duties. During their two-hour shift, toilet visits are prohibited. They march through anyone who gets in their way.
Tourists are allowed to take photos of them, but armed officers standing nearby will intervene if they get too close or behave disrespectfully.
A sign next to the guard warns bystanders that horses may kick or bite, and they are also not allowed to touch the reins.