Mother of man with special needs who caused sensation online after petting a Kings Guard’s horse says he is obsessed with the royal family and loves ‘exceptionally kind’ Sophie

The mother of a special needs man who went viral petting the King’s Guard’s horse has revealed how he has had a lifelong love for the royal family.

Last week, Donny Curtis, from Ascot, was filmed being treated to the kinder side of a member of the King’s Guard in London.

In the heartwarming clip, he was seen beaming with joy after a soldier brought his horse closer so he could take a picture and pet the animal.

A video capturing the moment was posted on the YouTube channel and has so far received 44,000 views. The King’s British Guard.

His mother Sandie told FEMAIL that he has always loved the royal family and even met Sophie, the Duchess of Edinburgh – a moment she described as ‘big’ for Donny.

Speaking to Femail, Sandie explained, “I met my husband when I lived in South Africa, and we adopted Donny there when he was two years old.

“While we were told he had complications, we didn’t realize the extent of his special needs; he has difficulty speaking, ADHD, delay in global development.’

The family moved to Britain when Donny was five, at which point his love for the royals grew rapidly.

Sandie explained: ‘He was watching one of the late Queen’s banquets at Buckingham Palace – he’d wanted to meet her ever since.

“He loves the royal family, has books with pictures, watches the programs, etc.

‘Being in the Royal Borough of Windsor allows us to visit Windsor Castle for free, which he often does. Last Wednesday we went to Buckingham Palace.’

And the family has even met some members of the royal family, including the Duchess of Edinburgh, who Sandie said had been “exceptionally nice” to Donny.

She said: ‘When he was at Park School they had a visit from Sophie, now Duchess of Edinburgh, which was a huge event in Donny’s life.

“He then met her again on the Long Walk at Windsor, when she took a walk during the Queen’s Platinum Jubilee, and again a few weeks later on the Long Walk, on her way to Royal Ascot.”

In the clip, which warmed the hearts of the country when it went viral last week, Donny was overcome with excitement when he got a closer look at the Kingsguard’s horse.

The video was captioned, “What a kind and priceless moment from King’s Guard for a special teenager!

The guard looked and saw the special man and moved the horse towards him and when the man finished and wanted to go, he repeated, “Bye” to the guard.

“What a precious moment to witness.”

People rushed to the comments to leave their thoughts on the adorable moment.

One person wrote: “What a lovely young man. I loved watching his excitement. Thanks to the soldier for his kindness.’

Another said: ‘The smile on the young boy’s face was priceless. The guards tried so hard to get his horse closer to him. I wish the tourists would do the same. Wonderful moment.’

While another wrote: ‘Thanks for sharing this moment! Thank you to the guard and for your kind heart towards the young man – you recognized his uniqueness and responded in such a compassionate way!

“He was genuinely discouraged by your lack of ‘conversation’ with him, but you found such a friendly way to interact with him and did you see his smile when you did?!?

‘He also noticed the horse’s bit and explained it to the woman (his mother?) who was with him…very clever young man! What a bright spot in my day – thanks to all of you!’

The touching scene comes after an elderly military veteran also witnessed a soldier’s friendly side. He got closer to her when she posed for a photo with her husband at the Horse Guards Parade in Whitehall.

A video posted on social media shows the couple – both proudly displaying their medals – getting as close as possible to the mounted soldier.

But after apparently realizing that they have both served their country, the soldier, wearing his usual plumed helmet and armor, quickly urges his horse closer to them before allowing the woman to stroke his horse’s nose.

Beaming, the couple leaves and the soldier steers his horse back into position.

The video, which was originally posted to the popular Buska in the Park YouTube channel, was shared on Twitter and then retweeted nearly 2,000 times.

The woman who posted the video on her @manc_lass3 account said, “What a beautiful and fitting gesture.”

She added, “God bless everyone in service, past and present, without their sacrifice we really would be nothing today.”

Another user commented on this saying, “Well done that young man, he must have made the lady’s day.”

This year, however, the King’s Guard troops have also cemented their reputation for attacking tourists who exceed acceptable limits.

In May, a woman was left furious after being pushed aside by a member of the Life Guard after crossing his path, having previously been asked to get out of the way.

He shouted ‘make way’ and used his arm to pull the woman out of his path, enraging her.

A month earlier, a member of the Kingsguard had startled a tourist by yelling in her face when she tried to take a selfie with him.

The soldier stamped his foot, turned to her and shouted, “Don’t touch the king’s lifeguard!”, holding a sword.

The King’s Guard is outside the Horse Guards Parade every day from 10am to 4pm.