Trooper praised for going 'above and beyond' in viral video with young man with Down's syndrome
A quick-thinking young soldier conducting King's Life Guard duties at Horse Guards has been praised online and by a senior officer for how he handled an encounter with a young man with Down's syndrome.
In the original TikTok video, which has been viewed 5.1 million times, the soldier is seen at Horse Guards taking a sidestep to his left, in a move considered by those watching to ensure he is close enough for the photograph to be taken.
His actions earned him praise from Major Steve Parker, who is responsible for the management of infrastructure and conservation of ecology at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, who spoke to Forces News about his pride, saying: "The young Trooper exemplifies all that is good in the British Army, and while only a small step to the side, in my opinion, he showed the humanity we should all aspire to."
The young man with Down's syndrome, Ibrahim, 17, and his friend Mike van Erp, wanted their photo taken with the Trooper of the Blues and Royals but were keen to ensure they were respectful around the soldier.
Speaking with Forces News, Mr van Erp said: "[Ibrahim] was nervous around the guard, probably because I was being careful to give the soldier space and because the guard has such emphatic body language."
Horse Guards, the official entrance to Buckingham Palace, is the ceremonial parade ground in St James's Park, London, where Trooping the Colour takes place to mark the King's official birthday.
The Household Cavalry, an elite cavalry unit, that has taken part in every major conflict since 1660, is a union of the two most senior regiments in the British Army, The Life Guards and The Blues and Royals – the only regiment officially known by its nickname.
Trusted guardians of the monarch, the Blues and Royals are recognisable by their dark blue tunics and red plumes on their helmets.
As the public face of the modern Army, Troopers, such as the one in the video, have strict rules about what they can and cannot do in this role, prompting many on social media to worry he will get in trouble for his actions.
However, the soldier is allowed to move around that area as he sees appropriate in the execution of his role.
Thousands of TikTok users took to the platform to heap praise on the compassionate Trooper and show their respect with comments such as "dude's a legend" and "class acts through and through, on both sides".
One common theme with the comments is how both parties respected each other.
Emeric Ludovic said: "Very nice from Guardian. Respect of him. He saw the boy was very polite, that's was came closer."
While TikTok user RammsteinNI said: "Respect given and returned. Well done."
Criticinsight said: "Salute to the guard for understanding the situation."
On Twitter, user Tim Del Monaco said: "This soldier went above and beyond. That was a class act.
"And he made that young man's day, I'm sure.
"A little kindness goes a long way."
Mr van Erp, the Dutch-Zimbabwean man seen with Ibrahim, has worked with the 17-year-old and his family for a decade, often cycling, skating, swimming and kayaking with him, saying: "He's pretty important to me, as much as my own two sons are.
"Funnily enough, he and my 14-year-old are quite good friends and enjoy doing things together.
"Yesterday, we were kayaking along the Grand Union Canal and a man we chatted to recognised Ibrahim."
Both Mr van Erp and Ibrahim have a connection to the Armed Forces, as he explains, saying: "One of Ibrahim's relatives was a senior Army officer in another country and one of my ancestors was Admiral Michiel de Ruyter, one of the most skilled admirals in history."
Going viral with a video isn't a new phenomenon for Mr van Erp.
He is a YouTuber who films drivers using their phones while driving and then reports the incidents to the Metropolitan Police.
A video he uploaded to his YouTube account in June was spotted by British radio and TV presenter Jeremy Vine and posted to his Twitter account.
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