Grizzly bearskin

Guest Fri 23 Jan - 15:24

By JAMIE PYATT

Published: Today

A QUEEN’S guardsman saw red when a giggling student took the mickey out of him outside a royal palace by mimicking his actions - and went on the ATTACK.
Columbian student Nick Ibarra, 23, began larking about for pal Suzanne Cadosch, 22, who was videoing the armed guard on duty in his bearskin and red tunic.

As the guardsman marched up and down as he stood sentry duty outside St James Palace in front of dozens of tourists, laughing Nick marched alongside him.

Tinker ... Nick Ibarra beside soldier

He had heard that the famed royal guards never leave their post unless a threat to the royals presents itself.

But he got the shock of his life when this one lost his cool and quick marched over to him and clipped him round the back of the head and aimed a boot at him.

Then according to Nick he pushed him away with his SA-80 semi automatic rifle while letting out a furious roar.

Unfortunately Nick’s student pal Suzanne was so shocked and scared she stopped videoing the soldier’s attack.

She said:”I just thought “Oh My God” he’s got a gun and he’s going for Nick and he grabbed him and tried to boot him and we were so shocked we just ran away fast.

“You often see people pulling faces at the guards and standing beside them for photo’s and marching along with them but obviously this soldier didn’t find it funny.

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“In hindsight I can understand the soldier losing his cool but it was very frightening indeed” she said.

Nick, who is studying English in Oxford, Oxon, said: ”I felt this huge hand on my collar and managed to avoid a boot up the backside but he was growling like a bear.

Click below to see attack pics...

“I was worried because he had a bayonet on his gun and didn’t want that going somewhere painful! He pushed me away with the gun and I just ran for it”, he said.

Shocked ... Nick Ibarra yesterday

The guardsman was on sentry duty at St James Palace which is the senior Palace of the Sovereign and is where the Princess Royal and Princess Alexandra reside.

The St Jame’s Detatchment of The Queen’s Guard mounts sentry duty there daily and Clarence House where Prince Charles and his sons live is within St James’s environs.

A Queen’s guardsman, on being shown the video, said: ”On one hand you can understand him wanting to put a hobnailed size 12 up the guy’s backside for taking the p**s.

“But on the other hand he will be in hot water for losing his cool when he should have ignored it. He should have gone back into his sentry box and just stood guard.

“But he will no doubt feel very satisfied at putting this oik to flight”, he said.