Fact Check: Video Shows a King's Guard Punching Man for Harassing Him?

Claim:

A video authentically shows a member of the British Royal Guard in London punching a man in the face for harassing him and knocking him out.

Rating:

Miscaptioned ( About this rating? )

In mid-2024, a video circulated widely on social media, with users claiming it showed a British Royal Guard in London, also known as the King's Guard, punching a man who was allegedly harassing him. The posts gained traction on X, with some users sharing the clip and insisting it depicted a real event.

For instance, on Aug. 29, 2024, an X account shared the clip with the caption, " The level of disrespect is absurd. Unfit for a civilized society," receiving over 622,000 views, as of this writing:

(@iamyesyouareno/X)

On Aug. 28, another X account reposted the video, which had first gone viral in mid-June when it was originally posted , receiving 1.6 million views as of this writing. That account wrote, " Good people can only take so much abuse! Then 💥."

However, the claim regarding the video's authenticity is false. The clip in question does not show a real altercation between a British Royal Guard and a civilian. Rather, it is a snippet of a staged scene from a longer video created by the YouTube channel Trollstation, known for producing gag videos and staged social experiments. The video, uploaded in 2015, was part of a prank designed to appear real, using actors to simulate the scenario.

Trollstation was established in 2013, quickly becoming notorious for its controversial and sometimes illegal pranks . According to the YouTube channel's " about " section:

Trollstation is a Youtube channel specialising in hilarious and often surreal pranks performed in public. Our content can be intentionally provocative & controversial especially when we are raising awareness for key social issues.

...

This channel is not suitable for children younger than 12 years old. It contains controversial satire material, the use of humour, irony, exaggeration, or ridicule to expose and criticise people's stupidity or vices, particularly in the context of contemporary politics and other topical issues.

In the full 5-minute, 16-second video — which was filmed nine years ago at locations around London, including the Tower of London, St. James's Palace and Buckingham Palace — a prankster dressed as a member of the British Royal Guard (then known as the Queen's Guard, as Queen Elizabeth II was still alive at the time) staged several altercations with accomplices while shouting, "Make way for the Queen's Guard!"

The snippet of the clip shared to social media shows the moment when a man with a British accent taunts the soldier and invades his personal space. The "Queen's Guard" appears to lose his temper and punch the man in the face, apparently knocking him out.

British news outlet Kent Online identified Daniel Jarvis as the Guard impersonator.

In the longer version of the video, after the alleged assault, a Metropolitan Police officer approached the two men and asks the man who was punched to "step away." The officer then smirks and asks Jarvis if he got his video, to which Jarvis responds with a smile, "Yeah, I got my video." The police officer gestures for the two men to move along, indicating that he may have been aware they were performers filming a scene. The original video, titled "Make way for The Queen's Guard Social Experiment," can be viewed on YouTube here :

The King's Guard Uniform Was a Giveaway That the Video Was Staged

British Royal Guards are famed for their strict discipline and composure, making it highly uncharacteristic for them to lash out at civilians. They are trained to stand at attention for long periods of time to protect the British royal family and in particular King Charles III, hence the reason for why they are now known as the King's Guard. The prank, filmed and shared online, was intended to look real and provoke a strong reaction from viewers.

To verify the authenticity of Jarvis' guard's uniform in the video, we compared it with an actual British Royal Guard on duty outside St. James' Palace (left).

(Trollstation and Getty Images)

As you can see, the prankster's uniform on the right lacked the white leather belt and chin strap attached to the black bearskin cap, indicating that his uniform might not have been authentic.

UK law, as stated in the Uniforms Act 1894 , makes it unlawful for anyone not serving in His Majesty's Military Forces to wear the uniform without permission. However, this law allows for exceptions, such as public performances. According to the British House of Commons ' research briefing on "Stolen Valour":

It is an offence for a person not serving in His Majesty's armed forces to wear the uniform of one of those forces without permission. The Uniforms Act 1894 also prevents the wearing of any dress having the appearance – or bearing any regimental or distinctive marks – of any such uniform. This does not, however, prevent individuals wearing a uniform for the purposes of a stage play or similar performance.

Although Jarvis faced no legal consequences for this prank, he was sentenced to 20 weeks in prison in 2016 for his reported involvement in a staged art heist that was filmed for the Trollstation channel in 2015. That prank involved Jarvis and colleagues entering the National Portrait Gallery and Tate Britain in London while wearing stockings over their heads, causing panic among visitors and staff.

In a 2017 interview with the BBC, Jarvis reflected on the staged art heist, saying, "I'm not proud. It wasn't meant to be that extreme. ... I can't change the past. I don't like hurting people or making people upset. I do these videos to make people laugh and make them happy."

In short, the viral video does not show a real member of the British Royal Guard engaging in violence. Instead, it was a prank by the YouTube channel Trollstation designed to generate shock and online attention. Therefore, we rate the claim regarding the video's authenticity as "Miscaptioned."

Snopes has previously fact checked videos and images purported to be real, including a trailer featuring Adam Sandler in an upcoming live-action remake of "The Simpsons," and faked images showing huge sea creature caught by a fisherman .

Sources:

- YouTube . https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vv007iMWRMY. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024. DISTRICT JUDGE (MAGISTRATES' COURTS)  DANIEL BENJAMIN. THE KING -v- DANIEL JARVIS SENTENCING REMARKS . IN THE CROYDON MAGISTRATES' COURT , Oct. 2022, https://www.judiciary.uk/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/R-v-Daniel-Jarvis-sentencing-remarks-191022.pdf. "Fact Check: A Member of the Queen's Guard Did Not Punch a Black Man to the Ground." Reuters , 23 June 2020. www.reuters.com , https://www.reuters.com/article/world/fact-check-a-member-of-the-queens-guard-did-not-punch-a-black-man-to-the-groun-idUSKBN23U1VT/. @iamyesyouareno. X . 29 Aug. 2024, https://x.com/iamyesyouareno/status/1829118852564713500. Jailed YouTuber: "Not Proud" of Prank . 3 Sept. 2017. www.bbc.com , https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40869278. --- . 3 Sept. 2017. www.bbc.com , https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40869278. Legislation.Gov.Uk . https://www.legislation.gov.uk/primary+secondary?title=stolen%20valour. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024. @MickaelLaffont. X . 28 Aug. 2024, https://x.com/MickaelLaffont/status/1828850296686293236. @MustangMan_TX. X . 15 June 2024, https://x.com/MustangMan_TX/status/1802034573691302162. News, Central. "YouTube Pranksters Jailed after 'terrifying' Fake Art Heist." The Guardian , 16 May 2016. The Guardian , https://www.theguardian.com/media/2016/may/16/men-jailed-after-terrifying-art-heist-prank-for-youtube-channel. Palace Guards - The Foot Guard Uniform . https://projectbritain.com/royal/queensguards.html. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024. Participation, Expert. Uniforms Act 1894 . https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/Vict/57-58/45. Accessed 29 Aug. 2024. "Prankster Strikes at the Palace." Kent Online , 11 Aug. 2015, https://www.kentonline.co.uk/gravesend/news/prankster-strikes-at-the-palace-41576/. Rogers, Katie. "When YouTube Pranks Break the Law." The New York Times , 19 May 2016. NYTimes.com , https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/20/technology/when-youtube-pranks-break-the-law.html. Walker, Nigel. "Stolen Valour": An International Comparison . House of Commons Library, 9 July 2024, p. 37, https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7750/CBP-7750.pdf. "YouTube Channel Trollstation 'shocked' by Jail Term." BBC News , 21 Mar. 2016. www.bbc.com , https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35843222.