While standing at attention in their sentry boxes in their distinctive redcoats and bearskin hats, the guards are often the victims of people trying desperately to do anything they can to make them smile or laugh.
The setup is pure genius. One member of the duo portrays a local police officer; the other is decked out as one of the Queen’s Guards, complete with a sentry box and a pair of Union Jack flags on either side. Everything has been put together to make it look as realistic as possible.
Except this box has an unusual feature—a sliding stand-up, life-size poster with the guard that completely covers the opening. Only instead of the classic redcoat, he’s got nothing on but his hat and some small underwear!
Pretty sure that’s not allowed on duty!
Pretty soon, the tourists start passing by and taking pictures of the guard with their cameras. But it’s no fun just to have a picture of the guard by himself. Anyone could find that on the internet.
What they really want is not some generic picture but photographic proof that they were there with the lifeguard.
In comes the kind policeman, who’s perfectly happy to take the picture for them. Only as they’re posing and the policeman is getting the camera ready, his accomplice is stepping behind the stand-up image. And the tourists are getting more than they bargained for!
By the time they have walked over to the policeman to reclaim their cameras, the poster has disappeared and the guard is back in his original position, standing at attention and definitely not smiling or laughing. The policeman too has them believing everything is normal, handing back their cameras, wishing them a good day, and walking away before they see the skimpy results.
The reactions are pretty priceless, ranging from surprise and amusement to pure shock. While seeing herself next to what she thinks is the mostly undressed guard, one woman’s jaw drops and she turns around to make sure her eyes aren’t playing tricks on her.
Thankfully, the comedian playing the guard has managed to slip the poster back in time so she can see what really happened. Perhaps the best reaction comes from a group with a middle-aged man and some older female family members with him. An elderly woman who appears to be his grandmother has to cover her mouth out of pure shock.
She just can’t believe that a member of the Queen’s Guards would do such a thing. The gasp quickly turns into a big smile as she realizes what’s just happened. So for once, the Queen’s Guards got their revenge.
Be careful next time you take a selfie with these guys!
