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From Times Online
September 28, 2007

Buckingham Palace guard caught on film making ignoble gesture

Nico Hines

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The Army has launched an inquiry today to find the ceremonial Foot Guard who was filmed making an obscene gesture while on duty outside Buckingham Palace.

The soldier was videoed making the hand gesture by one of the thousands who gather outside the Palace gates to watch the iconic soldiers in their red tunics and bearskin hats.

Rather than standing perfectly still while enthusiastic tourists attempt to distract them, this guard was captured shaking his head and making a well-known hand shuffling gesture at one of his colleagues. The footage can now be seen on YouTube.

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Some of those who viewed the video suggested the soldier had done nothing wrong and was simply employing an Army hand signal, but a Ministry of Defence spokesman has ruled out any such excuse.

“They are referring to a field signal for when you’re on military manoeuvres. It means come here or speed up, but it could not have been used in this situation,” the spokesman said. “We’re identifying the individual. This behaviour is unacceptable.”

It is thought the soldier will face serious disciplinary action from Army bosses once they have identified the culprit.

The Foot Guards, who serve on sentry duty outside the Queen’s official residence, are from a group of regiments in the Household Division of the British Army.

The soldiers, renowned for their ability to stand to attention without moving, have become one of London’s most famous attractions. Hundreds of tourists assemble at 11am to watch the changing of the guard when one set soldiers ceremonially replaces another.

He's been checking out some sounds on his mates iPod and telling him what he thought ,either that or he's a Darby fan !

Simon , Brighton, UK

It may well have been the case that this guardsman was simply indicating by means of hand signals that he urgently needed to answer the call of nature?

Mr Lachie Todd, Edinburgh, Scotland, U.K.

Hand gestures or language should not be more offensive than those used by the royals which set the low point of moral and ethical standards in this country. So fof

P Philips, windsor, england

he was shaking a wasp off his hand, thats what he told me anyway......

chad, sunderland, uk

This gesture is a recognised British Army Field Signal and there is nothing rude about it except to those of prurient mind.

He is indicating to his colleagues that they should hurry up or get a move on.

john, norwich,

Perhaps he was only expressing an opinion about the Burma soldiers suppressing peaceful protests !

Wing, Poole, UK

So it's ok for men/women who are not in the Foot Guards to make rude hand gestures, but not for a Foot Guard....... Double standards! ? Of should some people be more well behaved than others, more 'perfect' than others? Standards need to be kept up by everyone, not just the few.

Tarni, London, UK

Is it really acceptable that juvenile individuals are allowed to bait members of our armed forces just to elicit a reaction?

Childish awe maybe understood, but the efforts of some would earn them move than a mild hand gesture in any other situation.

Lancelot, Liverpool,

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