Watch: Heart-warming moment King's Guard salute young fan
A video of a young boy wearing a bright red tunic being saluted by soldiers from the King's Guard at the Tower of London has gone viral.
Known online as Frank the Soldier, "Sergeant" Frank's admiration for the Armed Forces – particularly the King's Guard – has pulled on the heartstrings of both the military and civilian community.
Videos of Frank meeting serving soldiers, veterans and police officers have been shared with his 174,000 TikTok followers.
And the most recent clip – which has been viewed more than seven million times – is a heart-warming exchange between the military fan and two soldiers from the Scots Guards during the Ceremony of the Word.
The soldiers show their respect and admiration for the young boy in their short exchange, with one saying: "You're looking very smart today.
"Your shoes are looking lovely and bulled as well, so well turned out, thank you."
The soldier then jokingly feigns insult and asks Frank why he is dressed as a member of the Coldstream Guards and not the Scots Guards.
In a reply to a comment on TikTok, it is explained why Frank favours the Coldstream Guards, saying they are "second to none".
Their cheerful exchange doesn't end there as Frank marches quickly behind the two soldiers as they make their way to complete the Ceremony of the Word.
He tries his best to keep pace with the soldiers, but now and again has to run to catch up with them.
After this, Frank continues to march behind the soldiers to their destination where they carry out the Ceremony of the Word.
At 3pm every day, the Officer of the Guard and their escort collect what is known as the Word, a daily-changing password used for after-hours entry to the Tower of London by staff, residents and soldiers.
Frank's TikTok is filled with videos of his encounters with soldiers and police officers at locations such as Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace, the Tower of London and Wellington Barracks.
Come rain or shine, the youngest "soldier" in the Coldstream Guards visits the King's Guard whenever he can, sometimes even straight after school.
Frank's videos might remind viewers of Marshall Scott, another young soldier fan who became famous when a video of him standing in uniform on his birthday next to a Guardsman went viral.
With a salute, four-year-old Marshall stood alongside Lance Corporal Edden in 2017, for a photo that is sure to be treasured forever.
At the time, LCpl Paul Edden said: "I just remember when I was younger when I wanted a picture with a soldier and seeing Marshall in a Coldstream Guards uniform just made me proud of what I do and just thought I would give him a chance to have a picture for himself for his own memories.
"It wasn't till one of the Guardsmen found the video on Instagram that I was told it was his birthday so it just made the moment even better."
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