King’s Guard melts hearts by making a rare break in protocol so boy with Down’s syndrome can have a photo taken with him

A member of the King’s Guard has been praised after going out of his way to put a young man with Down syndrome at ease.

The video of 50-year-old Mike van Erp, better known by his YouTube name CyclingMikey, and the youngster posing for a picture at Buckingham Palace has caused a stir after it was shared on YouTubethanks to the touching way everyone handled the situation.

Known worldwide for being quiet and still, King’s Guards are on duty outside official royal residences and even when tourists try to distract them, they are expected to remain unmoved.

However, footage shows a kind-hearted member of the guard getting closer to Mike and the boy trying to take a photo to remember their trip to the Horse Guards Parade.

Mike, who is a professional carer, took to Twitter to post about their day out, explaining: ‘I’ve been working for his family and for him for 10 years now. We took a bike ride on my tandem and stopped at the Horse Guards Parade.’

Mike made sure his attacker knew not to touch or get too close to the soldier and to respect his space

He admitted that “both I and the young lad” were a little scared “when he got closer to us” because it was so unexpected, adding: “This left me with tears in my eyes for a few evenings.”

After Twitter users initially thought Mike was the boy’s father, he clarified, “I’m not his father either, although I’d be proud of it.”

“I am very grateful to the soldier,” he continued. “I am lucky that I had good parents and went to a Jesuit school that cared about me and taught me well, the same goes for the young lad I associate with. Tears in my eyes.’

In recent years, the King’s Guard has gained a bad reputation on social media for videos showing them yelling at the public if they get too close to them or the horses.

Understandably, when Mike and the boy he was caring for wanted to get close enough to the guard to take a picture, they were extremely careful about intruding on his personal space.

In the short clip, shared by The Royal King’s Guards England channel on YouTube, a guard was seen standing in the middle at the entrance to an outside corridor.

As people passed by, many stopped to take a picture of the sentry, but one man and his child decide to carefully walk up to have a picture taken next to him.

As he carefully tried to prevent the boy from touching the guard or getting too close, Mike was heard reminding him to keep his distance.

The pair stood about two feet apart and posed for the photo, but were surprised when the guard moved closer so they could get the perfect shot.

Visibly surprised, the little boy was a little startled when the king’s guard came to stand beside them both.

After thanking the soldier, Mike was heard to say as they walked away, “What a nice man, what a pleasure to do.”

The sweet and respectful moment delighted viewers who rushed to share their thoughts and comments about the scene.

One person wrote: “Lovely gesture of kindness. All the guards are doing an exceptional job with so many tourists.’

Another social media user added: ‘Total respect for this security guard especially as this young lad was nervous and total respect for the security guard of the lad as he thanked wish more tourists were like him’

“This guard never melts my heart. That act of kindness brought a lump to my throat. What a sweetheart he is. Your kindness will return to you, young man. God bless you,” someone else wrote.

And a fourth person wrote: ‘Much respect to this Kingsguard! He was aware of the situation and acted with honor.’

The boy was delighted to be so close to the uniformed soldier and gave a thumbs up as he posed for the photo

Viewers watching the clip were delighted to see such a sweet and respectful exchange take place and rushed to compliment everyone involved

While this young lad and Mike treated the King’s Guard with respect, not every tourist is the same.

Earlier this year, footage showed the shocking moment when a woman lashed out at a King’s Guard for ‘pushing’ her aside while he was carrying out his duties.

The incident, which went viral on TikTok, shows the blonde woman standing in the way of the guard at the Horse Guards Parade.

The woman, holding a blue can of Pringles, stood very close to one of the mounted guards, while other bystanders gave the guards more space by moving further away.

Despite the King’s Guard on foot asking the woman to step back when he first passed her to greet his fellow guards, she stepped even closer to the mounted guard’s agitated horse.

As the guard who had warned her earlier walked back to the gate, the woman came right in his path.