A Buckingham Palace guard was spotted slipping and landing on his backside while on duty – before promptly getting up onto his feet again and acting as if nothing had happened.
The amusing moment was accidentally captured on camera by tourist Anthony Smith, from Liverpool, who was visiting the famous landmark in the City of Westminster in London.
Buckingham Palace’s guards have a reputation for keeping a professional and somewhat stern demeanour.
However, the guards have been known to display a more humorous side from time to time, playing popular tunes to mark special occasions such as the 2024 Euros and pulling funny faces at tourists.
The man who captured the blunder on camera was visiting Buckingham Palace as part of a weekend away in London.
A Buckingham Palace guard was spotted slipping and landing on his backside while on duty
He happened to be filming a visit to the palace last Sunday when the unexpected scene unfolded.
The video shows the guard mid-march and then the moment when his foot slips and he lands on the floor on his backside.
Anthony, 45. a radiographer, caught the incident on camera by accident as he was filming the entrance to the palace ‘randomly’.
‘I was just filming randomly, and he just slipped right over,’ Anthony explained.
‘I had to watch the video back to believe it.
‘People watching were shocked – everyone was saying ‘did that just happen?’.
He then continued: ‘The guard jumped back up quickly and recomposed himself, then he was straight back into action.’
The guards are usually highly-trained soldiers who are also skilled in martial arts.
Candidates also have to pass a special test to serve as a royal guard.
As the guards are part of a military organisation, any prospective candidates have to pass the BARB; the British Army Recruit Battery test.
They typically receive around £25,000 a year as a Guardsman – a figure that rises to around £35,000 once promoted to a Lance Corporal, according to reporting from LadBible (via TikTok account @howmuchthough).
The royal guards also receive additional benefits such as subsidised meals, free health and dental care, and low-cost accommodation.
