200 yards from the Palace, a white Ford Escort veered in front of their car & forced it to a stop. 26-year-old Ball emerged from the vehicle carrying two handguns & shot Inspector Beaton in the shoulder when he tried to confront him. As Beaton fired back once, his gun jammed. pic.twitter.com/SrZHIuP3By

— Royal Watcher (@princessannehrh) March 20, 2021

On this day in 1974, Princess Anne was the victim of an attempted kidnapping on the Mall while returning to Buckingham Palace from a charity event. The royal car was stopped half-way up the Mall by Ian Bell, who shot the Princess’s personal police officer, chauffeur, and a nearby tabloid journalist. Afterwards, the assailant opened the backseat door, and after telling her of the plan, tried to drag her out of the Rolls Royce, to which she replied “Not bloody likely.” Eventually, she managed to exit the car, and Ian Bell was arrested. Check out the video below to hear Princess Anne’s account of the Kidnapping ordeal-

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