Anne's no-nonsense three-word response to gunman during terrifying kidnap ordeal
She is known for her forthright demeanour and hard-working approach to royal duty - and it seems it prepared Princess Anne for one of the most terrifying ordeals of her life.
Almost 50 years ago while returning home from a charity event, King Charles' sister was subjected to a frightening ordeal when her car was shot at as she drove into Buckingham Palace. It happened in 1974 as her vehicle drove down The Mall and a car blocked its way. Shortly after they reached it Ian Ball got out and pulled out a shotgun. He shot the royal's chauffeur and security officer, as well as a press photographer who tried to intervene.
Princess Anne was once subjected to a terrifying kidnap ordeal (PA)The shocking incident, which is being recalled tonight on Channel 4 documentary Princess Anne: The Plot to Kidnap A Royal, saw Ball attempt to kidnap Anne and planned to ask for a £2million ransom. He told the royal to get out of the car - but she bravely replied in three years "not bloody likely".
Anne talked about the terrifying moment in a documentary which celebrated her 70th birthday three years ago, saying she still remembers each moment "like photographs". She told ITV's Anne: The Princess Royal at 70: "What is interesting is what you remember and how you remember it, because although I thought I remembered everything that happened I would never have been able to swear I could remember in the right order. Because they were like photos, individual snapshots. Very clearly. Strangely I had thought it before that, 'what would you do if...'
The aftermath of Ian Ball's attempt to kidnap Princess Anne (Getty Images)"One thing about horses and sport is you have to prepare for the unexpected and you've got to think through the problems that are likely to occur. I suppose that was the discipline which to some extent coloured my thought processes."
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Anne tried to talk Ball down, telling him she would not leave the car. Thankfully, another witness who was walking past the scene at the time punched Ball in the head twice - finally bringing the incident to an end. The Queen gave all of the four people who Ball shot a medal as a thank you for helping to save her daughter's life. Ball later pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping.
Last year, Anne was crowned the hardest-working member of the Royal Family yet again after carrying out 214 engagements in 2022, including trips to the US and the Falkland Islands. It was the highest number of official engagements according to analysis of the Court Circular, the official registry of visits and duties by senior royals. Anne also led the royal engagements league in 2021, when she attended 387 engagements, as well as in 2018, 2016 and 2015.
Anne with her older brother King Charles (Chris Jackson / Getty Images)Meanwhile, this year, she was handed a plum role at the Coronation by the King in honour of her years of unwavering loyalty. She featured in the procession as the prestigious “Gold-Stick-in-Waiting”, a position historically handed to a person entrusted with the personal safety of the sovereign.
As a “personal aide-de-camp” to His Majesty, Anne travelled on horseback behind the new King and Queen after they were crowned at Westminster Abbey on May 6. The privilege dates back to the 15th century in Tudor times, when two officers - a Gold Stick and a Silver Stick, were placed close to the sovereign to protect him or her from danger.
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