The ability to stand stock still and withstand long periods of boredom is usually considered a key part of the job for the ‘bearskins’ – the Grenadier Guards who keep sentry duty at Buckingham Palace.
But it was clearly too much for this guy.
Now, the army has launched an urgent internal investigation to establish the identity of a Grenadier Guard who was captured on camera dancing, pirouetting and doing a variety of slow-motion silly walks of which John Cleese would have approved outside Buckingham Palace while on sentry duty.
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A spokesman for the Army and Ministry of Defence told The Daily Beast that an internal investigation has been launched to establish the veracity of the video and said: “Anyone who is found to fall short of the Army’s high standards can expect to face appropriate action.”
A source said that while the video may be entertaining, the incident is being taken ‘extremely seriously’ by army top brass. “It’s very serious,” the source said. “Those guards are there to guard the palace, not entertain tourists. I don’t want to downplay the gravitas of the situation.”
The three-minute video clip shows the soldier, wearing his red tunic and bearskin, perform a series of stunts for onlooking tourists
The guard is first seen marching up and down the gravel forecourt, before breaking into pirouettes.
He can then seen picking up something from the floor and putting it in his pocket.
The soldier launches into a comical strut and pretends to polish his guard box with his knuckles.
Tourists can be heard laughing in the background, with one child saying: “Look at him spinning. That’s really silly. Do you think he will get told off for it by the policeman?”
His comical antics come to an end once the guard retreats to his box after giving his fellow guardsman a thumbs-up.
Orders for the duty which are read out before each two-hour shift and state: “You may not eat, sleep, smoke, stand easy, sit or lie down during your tour of duty.”
