A embarrassing video of their leader failing to mount her charger has been distributed by the soldiers of King Charles’ mounted ceremonial artillery.
A ceremony was taking place in Green Park, close to Buckingham Palace, and the video shows Major Francesca Sykes of King’s Troop, Royal Horse Artillery, requiring two troops to assist her mount the horse.
While one person attempts to shove her onto the horse, another person holds the reins. However, the two’s attempts fall short, to to the gathering soldiers’ chagrin. They are attempting to uncover what they believe to be her riding flaws after what seems to be a falling-out with other members of the team.
The video was shot while King’s Troop assisted in commemorating Cyril Ramaphosa, the president of South Africa, on his official visit in November 2022.
Members of the corps spend hundreds of hours practicing for funerals, state visits, and royal birthday parades. They are expected to be great riders. Despite being short, Major Sykes must ride a horse that is at least six feet tall because of her position.
However, despite these issues, her coworkers continue to make fun of her.
A King’s Troop source remarked, “If you can’t jump a horse without help, you don’t pass out of training.”
A warrant officer was tasked with assisting Major Sykes mount the horse during the South African tour by striding up to her while dressed in his best. If not, she wouldn’t have stood up. It is humiliating.
A Ministry of Defense spokeswoman, however, said that providing assistance to riders who require it in order to saddle their horses is quite common. Officers are given larger horses so that the rest of the unit can see their hand signals when they are on parade.
In 2021, Major Vicky Flood handed up leadership of King’s Troop to Major Sykes. She has participated in a number of well-known occasions, including Trooping the Color.
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