The Queen's Guardsmen are usually known for their signature bearskin caps and their somber expression, but this time they have made news for a very unusual reason.

Queen's Guardsmen are supposed to carry themselves with utmost discipline no matter who comes into their path, but this time one of the guards took it quite literally and sparked controversy. In a video that has gone viral on social media, a guardsman can be seen moving over a child that came into his path and fell.

Two guards were marching in unison in front of a small crowd as they conducted a routine patrol at the Tower of London. A boy turned up in their way, but instead of avoiding him, one of the guards simply shouted "Make Way" and continued to move forward.

The guard even walked over the boy as he carried on past the tourists. Meanwhile, the boy immediately got back up with no visible injuries. According to reports, he was on a trip to England with his family and they were on the first day of their trip.

A video of the incident was initially shared on TikTok, and then made it to Twitter. It has been reportedly viewed over 1.2 million times by now.

Social media users have divided opinions over the matter. Some believed that the guards could have used some common sense and avoided knocking down the child, but others argued that the fault lied more with the child's parents who were allegedly ignorant of the surroundings.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defence issued a statement to Mail Online, which said, "We are aware of an incident at the Tower of London earlier today during a routine patrol. The Guardsmen on duty warned members of the public that a patrol was approaching but the child, unfortunately, ran out in front of the soldier unexpectedly."

"The soldier tried to step over the child and continued on his duty. Following the incident, the soldier checked on the child and was reassured that all was well," the statement added.

The Queen's Birthday Parade
Guardsmen march along the Mall during the Trooping the Colour ceremony in central London June 11, 2011. REUTERS