K1dnapping Attempt on a Princess? The Shocking Royal Story You Might Never Heard (Watch Her Interview Below)

When we think of the British Royal Family, images of glittering tiaras, grand banquets, and centuries-old tradition often come to mind. Yet hidden in the archives of royal history lies a chilling chapter that many still cannot believe actually happened — the night Princess Anne, the Queen’s only daughter, faced down a gunman in a kidnapping attempt on the streets of London.

This was not a Hollywood thriller, nor a dramatized royal documentary. It happened in real life, in the heart of the British capital, and it nearly ended in tragedy.

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A March Night That Shook the Nation

It was the evening of March 20, 1974, a cold, damp Wednesday in London. Princess Anne, then just 23 years old, had spent the day attending a series of official engagements. That night, she and her husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were returning to Buckingham Palace after a charity film screening. The royal couple was seated in the back of their chauffeured Rolls-Royce Phantom VI, a gift given to Anne on her wedding day.

The Mall, the grand ceremonial road leading to Buckingham Palace, was nearly deserted. As the Rolls-Royce made its way down the avenue, headlights suddenly cut across the night. A white Ford Escort swerved in front of the royal vehicle and blocked its path. What looked at first like an impatient driver turned into something far darker.

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The Attacker Emerges

From the Escort emerged a man later identified as Ian Ball, a 26-year-old with a history of mental illness. Armed with two handguns, Ball approached the royal car with chilling determination. He had spent weeks plotting the kidnapping, fantasizing about holding the Princess for ransom.

Ball’s plan was brazen: abduct Princess Anne, demand £2 million in ransom, and use it to fund mental health charities. But the idealism he imagined was quickly drowned by the violence he unleashed.

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Chaos on The Mall

As Ball drew his weapon, Princess Anne’s chauffeur, Alex Callender, tried to shield the car and protect his passengers. He was shot in the chest. The royal bodyguard, Inspector James Beaton of Scotland Yard, leapt into action but was also shot — three times, including once in the chest.

In seconds, what had begun as an ordinary return to the Palace spiraled into a gunfight on London’s most famous avenue.

A nearby journalist, Brian McConnell, who happened to be passing on The Mall, saw the commotion and rushed forward to help. Ball shot him as well. Moments later, a former boxer named Ron Russell also intervened. He punched Ball squarely in the face, buying crucial seconds, though he too was injured in the struggle.

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Princess Anne’s Calm Defiance

With the chauffeur wounded, the bodyguard incapacitated, and chaos unfolding around her, Ball yanked open the door of the Rolls-Royce. He ordered Anne to get out.

It was in this split second that the Princess delivered the words that have become legendary in royal history. Staring him down, she refused. “Not bloody likely,” she snapped, with the stubborn resolve of someone who simply would not be bullied.

Her refusal threw Ball off balance. Instead of dragging her away, the standoff dragged on, giving rescuers precious time to intervene.

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Rescue and Arrest

The dramatic scene ended when a passing police constable, Constable Michael Hills, arrived and was shot in the shoulder. Even then, he pressed on. More officers soon descended on the scene, and Ball was eventually overpowered and arrested.

The entire ordeal lasted just under 10 minutes, but for those involved, it must have felt like an eternity. Four men lay injured, some critically, and the Princess of the Realm had narrowly escaped abduction.

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The Palace in Shock

News spread with lightning speed. For the Royal Family, who were used to adoring crowds and ceremonial duties, the notion of an armed kidnapping attempt was almost unthinkable.

Queen Elizabeth II, deeply shaken, was reportedly horrified at how close her only daughter had come to disaster. Palace insiders described the Queen as “distraught yet thankful” when she learned that Anne had remained unharmed.

Prince Philip, Anne’s famously protective father, was said to be furious — both at the attacker and at the gaps in security that allowed such a brazen attempt. He later pushed for tighter royal protection, ensuring no other member of the family would face such vulnerability again.

For the British public, the incident was a revelation. Royals were not untouchable; they were vulnerable, human, and exposed to the same dangers as anyone else.

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Anne’s Remarkable Composure

What stunned observers most was Anne’s composure. Only hours later, she appeared back in public, calm and collected, brushing off reporters’ questions with her usual dry wit.

Years afterward, in rare interviews, Princess Anne reflected on the night. She admitted she had been “angry” more than frightened. Her instinct was not to comply, not to give Ball the satisfaction of control. That stubborn refusal became the key moment that defined the failed kidnapping.

She also praised those who had been injured defending her, particularly Inspector James Beaton, who was awarded the George Cross for his bravery. Ron Russell, the passerby who confronted Ball, later received the George Medal and became a lifelong friend of Anne.

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The Kidnapper’s Fate

Ian Ball was arrested, charged with attempted murder and attempted kidnapping, and declared mentally ill. He was sentenced to a secure psychiatric facility, where he remained for decades.

Unlike many violent criminals, Ball never sought parole. He admitted later that he had been obsessed with the idea of abducting Anne, convinced he was acting with noble intent. For the Royal Family and the British public, however, there was nothing noble about the bloodshed he caused.

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The Legacy of That Night

The 1974 kidnapping attempt remains one of the most shocking incidents in modern royal history. It reshaped royal security — leading to tighter police protection and a dramatic reevaluation of how senior royals traveled.

But it also did something else: it cemented Princess Anne’s reputation. Already known for her blunt, no-nonsense character, she became admired as the royal who had looked a gunman in the eye and refused to flinch.

Her now-famous words, “Not bloody likely,” were more than a refusal. They symbolized a kind of inner strength and defiance that came to define her life of service.

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Years Later: Anne Reflects

Decades after the event, Anne occasionally spoke about that night. In her characteristically understated way, she downplayed the drama, focusing instead on the bravery of those who protected her.

She once joked that she had simply been “a bit rude” to the attacker, quipping that her stubbornness was the only thing that stood in the way of disaster. Yet to those who lived through it — the officers, the passersby, the Palace staff, and the nation watching in horror — her defiance was nothing short of heroic.

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A Defining Moment in Royal History

Today, nearly half a century later, the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne remains a little-known but extraordinary chapter in the history of the monarchy. It is a reminder that beneath the pomp and ceremony, the royals are also people — people who can be tested in unimaginable ways.

Princess Anne emerged from that night not just as a survivor, but as a figure of quiet courage. Her calm under fire became a story that would be told for generations, whispered in the halls of Buckingham Palace, and immortalized in the annals of royal resilience.

Watch Her interview here: