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Runaway Horse in Royal Wedding

No one hurt, and all’s well that ends well

Zoe Staff Report

It was a picture-perfect wedding when William and Kate tied the knot at Westminster Abbey in London. But then, on the procession back to Buckingham Palace, one of the horses got spooked.

The cheers and waving of the crowd turned to gasps as the horse tripped and threw her rider, a member of the Blues and Royals Horseguard. As he landed on the ground, he tried to pull her to the side to avoid other horses getting spooked and setting off a stampede, possibly into the crowds.

But the horse bolted, and she set off alone down Whitehall, the road that leads to the palace, right in front of the royal carriage and to the alarm of the bride, now Duchess of Cambridge.

Horses are herd animals, and this one seemed to be hurrying to catch up with the other horses she knew. When she finally did, members of the Horseguards were able to stop her and lead her away from the parade.

Captain Jame Hulme of the Horseguards said neither horse nor rider, nor anyone else, was hurt.

“It was just a complete accident,” he said. “The guy was riding on the outside and trotting round a corner. Because he was on the outside, his horse had to be moving at a fast pace and this led to it losing its footing as it went round the corner.”