When we are kids, our dreams for our birthdays are a little different. Who among us has not wanted our favorite superhero to grace our birthday parties? Many of us may have even dreamed of having a beloved Disney character join us in our celebrations. While most of us are drawn by fictional characters, there are kids out there who are inspired by the real-life heroes they see on television.
There are, of course, the heroes we all love and think of, such as the men who serve in our military. There have also been stories circulating about adorable children who consider their mailman or the garbage truck man their real heroes for the work they do. A sweet story from England brought into light the love a then four-year-old Marshall Scott had for the people he considered his heroes: the Queen’s Guard.
Most of us were familiar with the Queen’s Guard, thanks to their signature uniforms and a disciplined regimen of standing guard for hours at a time. It is adorable to see that a boy as young as Marshall had already fallen in love with this profession.
Back in 2017, before Queen Elizabeth II passed away on Sept. 8, 2022, his mother, Imogen Scott, wanted her son Marshall to have an extra-special fourth birthday. Since he had had a fascination with the Queen’s Guard for a really long time, she took him to Windsor Castle, where a kind guardsman made the lad’s day even more special. This sweet video shows just how much little Marshall loved his birthday and is sure to make your day as well.
Be sure to reach the end of this article to see the full video 🙂
Imogen Scott said that Little Marshall Scott idolized the soldiers who were known for protecting the late Queen Elizabeth II. Moreover, he had also had a fascination with the Royal family, which is how he came to know about the Queen’s Coldstream Guard in the first place and already decided that he wanted to be part of the Guard when he got older. “He’s is so patriotic! He sits and watches documentaries about the Queen and family. He definitely wants to be a Queen’s Guard when he’s older,” Scott said.
Scott knew she wanted to make her son’s fourth birthday special, so she came up with a great idea. She decided to take him to Windsor Castle to see the Queen’s Guard in real life, which was sure to be a treat for the sweet boy. Before going, he dressed up in his own Queen’s Guard uniform, complete with a red jacket and tall bearskin hat. In the video below, viewers can see how serious he is about wanting to be part of the Guard in his adorable outfit! Scott and Marshall arrived at Windsor Castle together, where he finally got to see his heroes. However, he had not expected that he had a birthday surprise coming up!
The video below was originally taken by a tourist, Joanna Feng, who just wanted to take a video of the marching guard.
However, she inadvertently caught the incredibly aww-worthy moment when Marshall first saw the guard and also the minutes following when one of the guards, Lance Corporal Paul Edden, helped his mom in giving him the best birthday gift ever.
At Windsor Castle, the Scotts watched a squad of guardsmen marching to the Guardroom during the “Changing of the Guard” ceremony. The little boy saluted the soldiers as they marched away, and it was the cutest thing to see Marshall so excited to see his heroes march past him. That seemed to be about as close as Marshall was going to get to his heroes – until Lance Corporal Edden marched back out. This was not according to the strict rules of the Coldstream Guard, but the gesture was a beautiful one.
The guard beckoned the child over, and Marshall stood next to him, saluting. This gave Scott a great opportunity to take a picture of the two of them. The guard then turned to face Marshall and did a quick high-step. He then marched back into the Guardroom. The entire exchange was captured by the tourist, and it looked like this gesture was a hit with everyone who was at the ceremony. When the guard marched out and posed for a picture with Marshall, there were cheers, claps and “awws” heard. Marshall was a huge hit as well, especially because he looked so adorable in his costume that tourists later asked if they could have their pictures taken with him.
“I just remember when I was younger when I wanted a picture with a soldier, and seeing Marshall in a Coldstream Guard’s uniform just made me proud of what I do,” Edden said as per Town And Country Magazine. ” I just thought I would give him a chance to have a picture for himself for his own memories.”
The Evening Standard later interviewed Lance Corporal Edden, during which he explained why he had broken formation to see the boy.
“Usually I would just take the guardsmen in the guardroom as normal – but my wife and I are expecting a baby boy, and I remembered standing at Edinburgh Castle when I was younger hoping to get a picture with a soldier.”
Lance Corporal Edden added, “It’s not the normal sort of thing we tend to do, but… it’s nice to see the support we’ve had off the public and around the world.” He also did not know that he was making Marshall’s birthday so memorable! “It wasn’t till one of the guardsmen found the video on Instagram that I was told it was his birthday, so it just made the moment even better,” Lance Corporal Edden told the Mirror. The sweet gesture went viral immediately after being posted, with thousands of people being taken by how cute Marshall looked in his uniform.
“He wanted to visit the castle for his birthday but just had no idea what would happen. We are so overwhelmed and thankful for everything,” Scott said about the video going viral. “He is so happy. Literally his dreams have come true,” Scott added.
Marshall may have something to look forward to in his future; the Facebook page of the Coldstream Guards posted this message after the video went viral: “We have a spot reserved for him at the Army Foundation College Harrogate for the March 2029 intake.” This is one birthday that Marshall will never forget!