American Reacts to Bad A$$ Kings Guard Moments 

To note, Horseguards is an active army barracks, and owned by the Ministry of Defense, the public and tourists can be refused access, it is not a tourist attraction but a place tourists can visit, the guards are serving soldiers and deserve respect whether you are for or against the monarchy

This level of disrespect, would never be tolerated at Arlington National Cemetery. Why do tourists think they can come and disrespect our serving military doing their jobs!! Far too many people come to the UK and treat it like a Disney theme park.

"Why not put up a sign?" There's a sign out front but most people don't read it, ignore it or don't understand it, but they do understand an angry Trooper.

The problem with so many tourists is that they think that the Guards are actors. Like some sort of Disneyland spectacle. They are not! They are serving soldiers, many of whom have seen active service. Mess with them at your peril!

This is Horse Guards. It's a military installation. Although still in military use, part of the building houses the Household Cavalry Museum which is open to the public. It also functions as a gateway between Whitehall and St James's Park. Note: These soldiers, including those from the Life Guards and Blues and Royals regiments, liberated Bergen-Belsen. They deserve unwavering respect, and no outsider should be allowed to disrespect them under any circumstances.

You must not grab or hold the horse's reins, as doing so means you're taking control of the horse and removing control of the horse from the rider. It's the equivalent of a passenger in a car reaching across and grabbing the steering wheel and taking control of the car away from the driver. You simply must not do it, unless there is an emergency reason/justification to do so.

As a former horse owner, I’d be furious if someone grabbed my reins .

“Don’t touch the reins” has been added to the signs but it still gets ignored, but even so, you do not grab the reins if you are not the rider, like you wouldn’t grab the steering wheel of a car if you are not the driver, something called common sense which a lot of tourists seem to be lacking.

People need to realise that they are soldiers. You wouldnt go to a navy seal and respect them like that.

You can't say it enough THIS IS NOT DISNEY LAND!!! These are a special force of real soldiers and NOT your G.I. Joe from Pixar. A thing that never goes into a US American brain like the metric system.

These are not toy soldiers in fancy dress but professionals on rotation from combat-ready highly trained units. Their swords may not be war-ready sharp but are quite sufficient to serious injure or kill, if the need arises. I once served in a search-and-rescue standby team when the Queen was touring. The military, who are normally subservient to civil authorities, made it clear they owed an allegiance to their Commander-in-chief, Her Majesty, and would act accordingly. They were quite passionate about this. I would expect the guards to be similarly committed. NOT TO BE MESSED WITH !

Maybe the tourists should go up to the Sentinel at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in the US and tell them they are 'bizarre' .

She tugged on the horses reins . . would you think it "was a bit too much " if you were driving and someone pulled on your steering wheel. It's very dangerous to tug on the reins unless you are the handler.

Many tourists (usually Americans😂) Seem to think it's some kind of Disney land, rather than working soldiers doing their job. They soon find out the truth, as these video shows.

No, you can take control of a horse using it's equipment....the horses and guards aren't 'for show'... they are there to do their job... protecting the King.... how would a soldier act in the US protecting the POTUS react if you went up and grabbed their gun strap or whatever equipment they have got? It's the same. So sick of people thinking the Royal Guard is a joke and just for tourists. They are WORKING.....

Some of the tourists treat this like it was Disneyland. This is an official guard outside of significant places. Only idiots try to interfere with guards trying to do a job. If this was their armed forces parading they would probably get arrested. The guards are extremely patient, the poor horses suffer constant harassment. There are signs. Do not touch the reigns. Touching the reigns gives that person control of the horse - that is not OK. How about a bit of respect for these men and women on duty.

I swear some of these people think they are going to get a hug like it was Disney land or pet the horses as if they were in a petting zoo , I was there one afternoon when one tourist remarked " he can't talk to my like that I'm an American!!" the guard pushed passed the nearly knocking them to the ground. when will they ever learn?

If you make fun of these guards in any way then the armed police that you see there will ask you to leave the courtyard.

Why are you laughing jps,these men and women are trained soldiers, thats just rude,and those people are being disrespectful, I am proud of them ❤from the Commonwealth.

I'm slightly addicted to watching the daily happenings at Horse Guards. I'd say this wasn't the best compilation out there. It can get much higher octane than this. Mark (Buska in the Park) and John (London City Walks) are my favourites, particularly because they get involved at times when tourists are being especially disrespectful. One of John's recent films gained international attention when one of the Military Police Officers gave a proper lecture to some U.S. youth, and then kicked them out.

A mentioned here and elsewhere, Horse Guards is a military barracks - the only one that allows limited access by the public to get from Whitehall to St James' Park and The Mall. It was never intended as a tourist attraction, but has in recent times become one. If there were no tourists, the Guards - both mounted and unmounted - would be doing exactly what you see here, but nowadays having to perform their duties with tourists getting in the way, and daily causing huge problems, treating the guards and horses like some British form of Disneyland. The guards have to put up with people touching them, trying to make them laugh, goading them and generally trying to take the piss! There is no distinction between one group or individual or another; they could be Americans, Chinese, any foreigners and yesa, even British - they all think these guards are there for entertainment. There are anumber of locals who spend almost every day here filming , and mainly showing the huge numbers of people making a nuisance of themselves, and their videos take up many hours of footage every day on RU-vid. To the average viewer, it may seem great fun, but for the guards and horses it is a two-hour duty to face what can only be termed as abuse, and high time it was stopped altogether. These young troopers are professional soldiers who are mostly part of the Armoured units, but have guarding Horse Guards as a ceremonial post. They deserve respect, but on the whole don't get it from the tourists. Every day the police have to step in and either give a telling-off to those getting too disruptive, ordering them out of the area, and arresting the odd one or two who go too far in causing problems. My advice to JPS: use your chsnnel in a more positive way to spread the message to your "fellow Americans" to show respect; that would be a good start!

3:42 - Hi Joel, no, Trooping the Colour generally takes place at Horseguards - right where this video is filmed. They have a large parade ground at the back.

Some guards can be friendly when children or disabled people want a photo. There's videos showing these events.

There is a sign up saying don’t touch the reins and so many still hold them and there are people that stand to close and are bitten or kicked that’s why the guards shout.Theses are real soldiers not just for entertainment

Someone takes hold of the reins then the Trooper loses control of the horse which can be very dangerous.

Why put up a sign?. There's a guard there. You would think that would be a big enough hint to stay away...

"Put up a sign". You really think tourists [especially American] would read that? lol

The guard stamping their feet is a warning, a guard shouting is an escalating warning. After this you get banned or arrested and banned.

joel the first lady, she touched the reins, you cant do that, the reason being, the minute you hold the reins(spell check) you have control of the horse,

Tourists need to be educated on the history of these regiments , they are responsable for liberating people from the death camps in the second world war , have fought I various conflicts .Most in our armed forces do ceremonial duties in there career . Either at the Tower of london , Windsor castle , or horseguards it's considered an honor to serve there commander and chief the king .

the guards also carry fully loaded weapons, you dont mess with them, try to belittle them, make fun of them, they are serving british soldiers and very proud of their regiment

These men and horses need a lot of patience.

This is at Horse Guards on Whitehall, the official entrance to the Crown estate in London. The Parade ground for trooping the colour is through the arches, beyond which is St James Park. People are allowed to touch the horses, as long as they don't interfere with the reins by which the trooper has control of the animal. It is a military base, not public space. The armed police protect the important areas of the country. These men & women are real serving soldiers, many have been in active war zones, & these guard duties are not their only work, but part of the rotation of duties they perform from time to time. When not on horseback they serve in armoured vehicles. These are some of the top rated soldiers in the British Army. They take their duties seriously. The horses are very large & powerful , & occasionally get upset or spooked, & can become dangerous, which is why care must be taken with them. A couple of months ago several horses panicked at a loud noise, escaped & ran through the streets, where several were injured by the traffic. They were recovered, but a couple are still under veterinary care because of their injuries. The signs are in English, but they couldn't be done in all possible languages, & even English speakers often ignore them.

I found this video pretty tame compared to what I've seen at Horseguards. It is amazing how certain Troopers convey and get their point across with just their body (and eye) language, I've mainly seen this from the Blues and Royals regiment, although I'm a bit more partial to them, sorry Lifeguards. Still proud of you. This is quite an old video, new signage went up a year or two ago (cannot remember exactly when) including words informing tourists not to touch the reins. It is amazing that tourist just ignore that these are active, highly trained servicemen and women and treat the place like some kind of amusement park. Within the gates it is MOD premises (including MOD police, the police you see in the video with the guns), outside the gates (where the horses stand guard) is a public walkway. There are also heart-warming videos of the Troopers treating kids and people with disabilities with some great respect.

You nailed it lots of tourists think this a show not reality

Joel , it's not just American tourists who do this. Eventually they'll have to move the horses inside! Trooping the Colour takes place in Horse guards parade.

She grabbed the reins. That is not allowed.

The shop is part of the museum, the entrance to which is in the parade ground at the back of the yard.

Scenes depicted here are at Horse Guards not St James Palace. Horse Guards is where Trooping The Colour takes place and various other high profile parades.

This is Horse Guards, it was originally the entrance to St James Palace but mostly ceremonial today

Sign.... there's chains mate 😂🤦🏻‍♂️

It’s just common sense but people just don’t have it!

Hey Joel, this is actually Horse Guards, which is on Whitehall between Trafalgar Square and Parliament Square farther down. And yes, behind those arches you'll find the grounds where Trooping the Colour takes place. Some two years ago, they replaced the warnings next to the mounted guard station, adding to the usual "Horses may kick or bite" an additional warning: Do not touch the reins. Some people are truly clueless and seem to believe that instead of real soldiers doing their job, they are some kind of Disneyworld props for their amusement. Sometimes I'm amazed at their patience.

There are videos of people stood around here in the 1950s and 60s. The people back then stood and looked quietly and with respect. Not so much now. Society certainly has gone backwards.

Grabbing the reins is like a front seat passenger grabbing hold of the steering wheel in a vehicle. You just don’t do it.

The Guards are carrying swords for God’s sake

This area is so crowded with tourists compared with 30+ years ago. I think they should now change the sign to say that touching the horse is not allowed. It would be even better if tourists were made to keep a certain distance from the guards and keep the pavement clear. Show some respect and just take a photo of the guard & horse from a few feet away - no need for you to be in the photo as well!

There are sign not to touch the horses and that the horses can kick and bite and if tourists are stupid enough not to take heed then they deserve whatever they get. These are serving soldiers so do not interfer with them or their horses.

It isn’t St James’s Palace at the beginning, but the remnants of Whitehall Palace. Surprisingly StJames’s Palace gets little tourist attention, even though it is the “official” first residence of the Royals (Ambassadors for other countries are officially appointed to the Court of St James). St James’s Palace is located at the western end of Pall Mall. You are right though that Palace shown has Horseguards Parade at the rear and Hourseguards Road separates it from St James’s Park.

There is a horse that bites people on a regular basis if you get too close it's quite funny.

If you can't read you shouldn't be out in public.

Put up a sign? In which language? I would have thought the presence of a chain would have been a dead giveaway!

Why shouldn't a guard shout at the disrespectful visitors?! If those watching this take a look at "Arlington Cemetery, The tomb of the unknown soldier", they too shout and expect respect. and silence!

Touching the reins is like someone grabbing your steering wheel whilst you are driving The notice does say do not touch the reins If you go through the archway at the back it actually leads on to where they do trooping of the colour

From my observations at Horseguards American and Chinese tourists are the most disrespectful..

Lack of respect is sad

I think some of these reactions between tourists and the royal guards are not always because a tourist didn’t read the signs at the entrance but deliberate for their TikTok videos to get more views and cause controversy. That being said having a small tourist shop selling memorabilia next to a royal guard probably isn’t a great idea and would be better placed somewhere else nearby. It’s a balancing act between making money from tourists while also respecting the boundaries of the royal guards and its traditions.

I doubt anyone would take any notice of a sign at the arches. There is a sign to say don't touch the reins but people still do it. I think the problem is that a lot of tourists don't understand English, so even when the guard shouts to not touch the reins they don't understand.

Hello Joel. As a kid I had models of these and even an Action Man (GI Joe in US) figure with the toy horse. You can see why people are so attracted they get lost in the moment, but should know better. It is like a living museum.

It’s not a show, they’re working .. tourists forget they are working soldiers, it’s not fancy dress

No ,,,,not Saint James Palace,,,,, but Horse Guards Parade . Just behind where the Guard is standing.

And a man in sunglasses talking into his cuff link isn't bizrre?

They were tame shouts, there's better one's then that. Find one where the horses are biting people. 😂

The Metropolitan Police have a Royal Protection Unit. It is there job to protect working members of the Royal Family both inside and outside the UK. Dominic

Joel, you laughing and trying to suggest they do or that to improve the situation, only shows your own lack of understanding of the duties the soldiers / police are there to undertake. As for saying why dont they...? Are you suggesting _you_ might know _their_ jobs better than _they_ do?! You can read the comments below for further information by those who know more than you or me, and then _might_ (hooefully) treat this whole thing a little more respectfully. As it is, I thought your laughter and / or "advice" a tad offensive in that, though you probably didnt intend it to be, came across as being as 'dumb' as the tourist's behaviours. Sorry, but you are not taking the obviously disrespectful behaviours exhibited by some of those tourists - no doubt due to their ignorance of the history and duties of serving men and women - there to protect the Royal Family, just as your own secret services and serving military men and women must surely carry out their own duties to protect the President etc...?! 🤔 🙂🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿🐴♥️🐴♥️🇬🇧🙂🖖

These are Historic buildings! They cannot just “put up signs” or “permanent” barriers! These tourists are allowed to wander over this whole site for free! Do you know how many different nationalities visit these sites? (I don’t know either but it is a lot) How many signs would it take to inform them all. Quite frequently these are “tour” groups with leaders/teachers/tour guides. What IS unfortunate is that many of these people do NOT pass on the information that this is an army site, these are working soldiers, these are historic buildings! Wouldn’t take much to get them to do that rather than the misinformation that many of them do spread!

These horses are highly trained. The slightest touch on the reins is enough to signal to the horse to move, so obviously if other people grab or touch the reins it's very dangerous. The signs now say Don't touch the reins, but that was there in that first clip. Mostly you hear Make Way! or Make Way For the King's Guard! or Don't Touch the King's Guard! or Don't Touch the Reins! And yes, the touritst bring in a lot of money so they are given a lot of leeway but there are limits. Mostly about personal space, which people need to respect. On the other hand you will see the mounted troopers momentarilly moving closer to some individuals, especially those in wheelchairs or people who are clearly no threat.

This is horse guards a working barracks, the shop is part of the museum at the back, any proceeds go to veterans, and yes the parade ground at the rear is where trooping the colour takes place.

I’ve been in St James palace for a presentation with the late Duke of Edinburgh but the guards only came out when I left. It’s beautiful inside. Red velvet stair rails, a string quartet was on a landing and the state rooms were stunning. The toilets weren’t bad either. I framed my invitation. It was very memorable.

This is Horseguards, the original entrance to Buckingham Palace, even though it no longer is, The Household Cavalry still mount a guard there out of tradition. There are two mounted guards and 2 dismounted guards, the best turned out get to be the mounted guards. Their barracks are at Knightsbridge but there are stables at Horseguards for obvious reasons.

I cant understand why there's not a bigger sign NO TOUCHING HORSE 😕 SIMPLE IN EVERY LANGUAGE

This never used to happen years ago, I lived not far from London as a child so we often visited Horse Guards but it happens all the time now, it seems a shame because of some idiots that don’t know how to behave that tourists will end up not being allowed to go in that area

They probably forget that they are trained soldiers some who would have done tours although those wars were a while ago now.

Hi Joel, I am sure others have beaten me to it in the comments, but Horseguards is a working military barracks, it is not St James Palace. The shop is their own little shop (although I agree I am not sure it needs to be there). If you follow through the large archway that brings you out into the large open courtyard which is where Trooping the Colour takes place.

It's no good putting up a sign you can see for yourself people who ignore the sign by the mounted guard.🧐

The lady at the beginning was holding on to the reigns. That's like someone holding on to your steering wheel that's y the guard shouted so loud it's says DO NOT TOUCH THE REIGNS ❤🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

Joel It’s all very well saying “Why don’t they put up a sign it’s a a simple as that “. It’s not as simple as that is it. Not everyone speaks or reads English. There are 100’s on different nationalities going through Horseguards every single day. Now many signs do you think would be needed and how much space would they all take up. As for the shop it’s run by the military for the guards charities.

This is Horse Guards, Joel. Originally one of the outer entrances to Whitehall Palace, of which nowadays only fragments remain within the Government Buildings on the same site. It is nevertheless part of the Processional Route used by the King and other members of the royal family, between Buckingham Palace and either the Palace of Westminster (for the State Opening of Parliament), or Westminster Abbey - although Birdcage Walk [along the southern edge of St James's Park] is shorter, and longer routes may also be used, such at Coronations. You are correct in your suggestion that Horse Guards Parade - to the rear of this arched gateway - is where Trooping the Colour and sometimes, the Official Reception of Foreign Heads of State, takes place. St James's Palace is just off The Mall on its' north side, and is a much smaller, Tudor-style building with wide balconies along the north and south of the upper storey where it too, crosses the road that permits access between The Mall and Pall Mall - where there used to be additional royal residences, amongst other things. No longer used to house the monarch, it is nowadays divided into flats that house some of the more minor members of the Royal Family, as well as senior courtiers and servants. Nevertheless, there is a Chapel [on the ground floor] that is often used for Royal Christenings, and the Great Hall [above it, on the first floor] which - together with the adjacent North Balcony, is used for Royal Proclamation Ceremonies, most recently for Charles III after his formal Accession to the Throne on 25th September 2022, as "The Royal Court of St James" is the Official Title of the British Royal House. Clarence House, used by the former Queen Elizabeth Angela Marguerite, Queen Consort of King George VI and mother of Queen Elizabeth II as her Official Residence from 1952 until her death in 2002 and bequeathed by her to the then Prince of Wales, now King Charles III - that has remained his family home ever since; lies just to the east of St James' Palace. The London residences of most other members of the Royal Family not housed at St James's or Buckingham Palaces, is at Kensington Palace; prompting a younger King George V to rather unfavourably refer to it as an "aunt heap."

This is nonsense. Sadly Joel being anti British again, They have the police in a black uniform carrying a machine gun (against terrorists) who may step in if a person is breaking the rules too much. I have watched hours of these "London walk" videos and have never seen anything like in Joels video.

It has got worse since that video. Probably something to do with all the videos flooding youtube of tourists at Horse Guards Parade grabbing the horses reins.

They are Guards and soldiers they are armed serviced, people need to learn respect

You wouldn't disrespect our sentinel's garden tomb of the unknown soldier here in Arlington Virginia either

As a British citizen I can only feel ashamed of the poor service the police provide in these spaces! Then, as a Scotsman, I don't see these types of situations happening in places where the Royal Guard is! Maybe because they aren't as close to the guards, but there is definitely more civility!

You respect guards and soldiers in every country I would think that would be common sense I think the guards in the Royal are totally awesome

You'll find that most of these people are American. It's te same when it comes to defacing ancient buildings and artifacts around the world. Almost always Americans

The most Touristen are not respectful to the guards.

1:49 It reminded me of the Mr. Bean episode where he goes overboard with taking a picture of a Royal Guard

Sometimes when we are tourists (myself included) we forget that if they are Guards...well that...they are "on guard" ps: and the excuse of the language..it's not garde🇨🇵, guardia 🇪🇦🇮🇹,guarda🇵🇹..or.bewachen 🇩🇪(:watch)etc.😉

Why do need a sign Joel? Do you constantly need to be told what to do?

Joel, how much notice will people take of signs or lines on the ground? I am afraid in a lot of cases none at all. I am sure that a lot of people take their brains out before they leave home.

Taking hold of the reins technically puts them in control of the horse, would you grab hold of a steering wheel from the passenger seat?

You'd make a great Kings guard Joel!,except Don't giggle!

do not fuck with the King's Guards. These guys will all be military veterans.

Trooping the Colour tales place at Horse Guards, which is where the Household Cavalry you are watching is above.

These a horse guards, when not on ceremonial duties the are members of a armoured regiment and may serve anywhere the British government sends them. The soldier in the blue uniform is an artillery man in his ceremonial dress.

There are ropes and bollards to stand behind. Surely that’s a message in itself?

The shop actually belongs to the Horse guards it goes towards their charitable funds

All of these guards also go on active duty have and do fight in wars. They have great pride in what they do and as with any solider command the greatest respect.

These are active soldiers. If the need arises they can and will use their weapons. What's so hard to understand?

Have a read of their rules & Regs ,interesting stuff