This is the heartwarming moment a King's Guard gently moved his horse closer to a young disabled woman so it can nuzzle her face, causing her to be overcome with pure joy.
Footage taken in central Londontoday shows swathes of tourists clambering for a photograph with the King's Guard and his horse outside St James' Palace.
The horses can be notoriously unpredictable and there are signs clearly stating: 'Beware, horses may kick or bite'.
An additional warning to tourists requests that people do not touch the animals.
The soldier however appears to notice the woman, who is in a wheelchair and briefly nods to her in acknowledgment, before making a huge exception.
Extraordinary: As a young woman in a wheelchair and her companion posed for a photograph outside St James' Palace in central London today, the King's Guard can be seen gently moving out of position and coaxing his horse towards her
The gentle black horse nods its face down towards the pair, causing the young women to smile and throw her head back in delight
She smiles widely as the horse looks straight towards her for a brief moment, before the King's Guard retreats back to his position
As she and her companion, a young man in a baseball cap and blue jumper, pose for a photograph, the King's Guard can be seen gently moving out of position and coaxing his horse towards her.
The gentle ebony-coloured horse nods its face down towards the pair, causing the young women to throw her head back in delight.
She smiles widely as the horse looks straight towards her for a brief moment.
The animal then nuzzles the man's arm, before the King's Guard gently retreats back.
As the pair return to the crowd, astonished bystanders cry out 'wow' and 'that's so cool'.
A woman in a white top smiles and tells the young lady: 'No one gets that'.
Unsurprisingly, the tear-evoking video has gone viral online and been shared and liked thousands of times across social media.
Many were quick to praise the soldier for his 'compassion and respect'.
One wrote: 'The kindness shown by the King's guards never disappoints. It's a once in a lifetime experience and memory for this young woman and many others like her.'
In an incident this year, the King's Guard bellowed to a tourist: 'Do not touch the reins!'
In another incident, when a woman went to stroke the horse's face, it bit down on the arm of her jacket. Refusing to let go, it tugged on the jacket and pulled her back and forth and up and down before finally releasing it
Another was amazed by how gentle the animal was, compared to previous incidents.
'It's almost as though it senses something special about the woman,' they wrote.
A third said: 'I've seen the King's Guards a hundred times. They simply don't move for anyone. They are steadfast in their duties. This brought me to tears. This was absolutely wonderful.'
The moment was all the more extraordinary given that the King's Guard - consisting of elite serving soldiers who are tasked with protecting the monarch's life and properties - are generally not allowed to interact with the public.
On occasion, they have been known to shout at tourists if they get too close or present their bayonets if people become aggressive.
The soldiers must not let anything distract them from their duties - with toilet breaks banned during two hour shifts - and will march through anyone in their way.
Interaction with their horses is all the more rare andthere have been a series of incidents where tourists have actually been injured after getting too close.
Last month, atourist desperate for a photo with the King's Guard actually fainted after being bitten on the arm by an unsettled horse.
A woman, wearing a black baseball cap and a Pink Floydt-shirt, was caught on camera being injured after she got too close to a horse.
The stunned tourist seemingly went into shock after the incident, which left herfalling to the ground.
Last month a tourist was bitten by a horse while standing in front of a sign that reads: 'Horses may kick or bite'
The woman screamed out in shock as the horse bit her on the arm
In an unprecedented move, the King's Guard used his sword to signal to the cameraman before saying: 'Can you go and get the police officer?'
Last month a tourist hurtled to the pavement outside Buckingham Palace after she was seemingly headbutted by a King's Guard horse - although not everyone watching was convinced.
The video showed a curly-haired woman standing and smiling next to a black horse as she posed for photos before the horse nudged her.
The woman then dramatically fell to the pavement, landing face down as her bag flew out away from her and a gathered crowd let out a concerned 'ooh'.
In June, a horse gently nudged a woman who was seemingly so shocked she fell to the ground
The woman was thrown on to the pavement and landed face down as her handbag flew out from under her. Worried onlookers rushed to her aid and helped her back on her feet
In May, a King's Guard horse bit a tourist after she touched the animal while posing for a photo.
Video footage, which went viral on social media with over 855,000 views, shows the woman putting her hand on the horse's neck while posing for a photograph.
The horse then swung its head towards the woman before clamping down on her saree.
And in January of this year, a female tourist posed for a photo opportunity with the King's Guard horsewhen it bit down on the arm of her black puffer jacket and aggressively tugged her around.
