Page 3 Profile: Dancing Guardsman, Grenadier Guard

Dancing Guardsman, Grenadier Guard

Would you care to dance?

This Grenadier Guard doesn’t need asking twice; the dexterous soldier has been keen to show off his fancy footwork outside Buckingham Palace, entertaining members of the public by performing pirouettes and a comic walk while on duty. Unfortunately, though, he seems to be out of step with his superiors and could now face disciplinary action for his antics, which have been caught on camera.

Sounds like a bit of harmless fun to me…

The Grenadier Guards, whose motto translates as “Shame be to he who thinks evil”, have a reputation to uphold though. They are responsible for patrolling the Palace grounds and are the most senior infantry regiment in the British Army. Footage of the unidentified guardsman, who was filmed performing the routine during his two-hour shift, was uploaded to YouTube last month when the Queen was at her residence in Balmoral, Scotland. In the three-minute clip the soldier can be seen holding court with his comic moves, but he is not without his critics.

They prefer ballroom dancing to ballet?

One YouTube user said: “I am ex-Household Division (cavalry) and this is a bad representation of the Household Division. I would not trust this person next to me in a firefight. He is a fool.” Another said: “My son is a Guardsman and this lad in the video has disgraced his uniform, shame on him and I hope he gets severely reprimanded!”

Time to hang up his army boots as well as his dancing shoes?

Many viewers were more sympathetic, with one commenter pointing out: “This is one of the most boring jobs in the British army and he is injecting a little artistic licence into to it for the crowds.” However, the Ministry of Defence failed to see the funny side and has confirmed that it is investigating the matter. “Anyone who is found to fall short of the Army’s high standards can expect to face appropriate action,” a spokesman said. A Buckingham Palace spokesman would not comment on the incident, saying it was a matter for the MoD.