A viral video showing a woman being shoved out of the way by a member of the Queen’s Guard has been disputed by army sources, who say the interaction is not quite what it seems.
The footage, shared on Twitter on Tuesday and watched thousands of times, shows a woman being pushed out of the way by a guard dressed in the traditional red uniform and bearskin hat, as he marches at Windsor Castle.
The woman appears to be posing for a picture on the wrong side of a rope as the soldier approaches.
It is not known when the incident took place, or who the woman involved is.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) issuing an official statement after the video went viral, saying: “The Household Division is proud to guard Her Majesty and honoured that people come from around the world to watch our ceremonial spectacle. The ropes are there to protect both the public and our soldiers; please stay behind them!”
The MoD declined to confirm whether they are investigating the incident, or comment on how often Queen’s Guard soldiers have had to physically move onlookers.
However, an army source suggested to HuffPost UK that the incident was “set-up” in an attempt to “provoke” the soldier and capture a video for use on social media.
The source said the rope that was in place was not a “permanent fixture” and was laid out by the soldier’s superior after he had complained that the woman in the video had made several attempts to touch him.
The source claimed the woman had earlier tried to “grab” the soldier’s arm, rifle and bearskin hat and sit in his sentry box, and had been asked to stop.
“The fact that she has stood there (outside the rope) like she didn’t know he (the soldier) was behind her is ridiculous... it appears to be a set-up to make a little video,” the source claimed.
“This soldier was at the end of his tether and her reaction to the push... she took, like six steps... is ridiculous.”
The source added that incidents of this nature happen from “time to time”, but were not spoken of for fear they might encourage others to try to provoke Queen’s Guards.
The guards protect official royal residences, and have defended the royals since the 17th century.