Editing Anne, Princess Royal (section)

==Kidnapping attempt==
On 20 March 1974, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips were returning to [[Buckingham Palace]] when a car forced their Rolls-Royce to stop on [[Pall Mall, London|Pall Mall]].<ref name="bbc1974" /> The driver of the Escort, Ian Ball, jumped out and began firing a pistol. [[Inspector]] [[James Wallace Beaton|James Beaton]], Anne's personal protection officer, exited the car to shield her and to try to disarm Ball. Beaton's firearm, a [[Walther PPK]], jammed, and he was shot by Ball, as was Anne's chauffeur, Alex Callender, when he tried to disarm Ball.<ref name="bbc1974">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/20/newsid_2524000/2524489.stm|title=On This Day > 20 March > 1974: Kidnap attempt on Princess Anne|work=BBC|access-date=22 October 2008|date=20 March 1974|archive-date=17 December 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217193111/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/march/20/newsid_2524000/2524489.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> Brian McConnell, a nearby [[Tabloid journalism|tabloid]] journalist, also intervened, and was shot in the chest.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jul/17/guardianobituaries.roygreenslade|title=Obituary: Brian McConnell|work=The Guardian|location=UK|author=Roy Greenslade|date=17 July 2004|access-date=30 April 2011|archive-date=5 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131105061621/http://www.theguardian.com/news/2004/jul/17/guardianobituaries.roygreenslade|url-status=live}}</ref> Ball approached Anne's car and told her that he intended to kidnap her and hold her for ransom, the sum given by varying sources as £2&nbsp;million<ref>{{cite news|title=Princess foiled 1974 kidnap plot|work=BBC|date=1 January 2005|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4139187.stm|access-date=22 October 2008|archive-date=3 January 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090103174830/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/4139187.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> or £3&nbsp;million, which he claimed he intended to give to the [[National Health Service (England)|National Health Service]].{{CN|date=April 2025}} Ball told Anne to get out of the car, to which she replied, "Not bloody likely!" She reportedly briefly considered hitting Ball.<ref name="theage">{{Cite news|last=[[Agence France-Presse]]|title=Kidnap the Princess? Not bloody likely!|newspaper=The Age|date=2 January 2005|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/People/Kidnap-the-Princess-Not-bloody-likely/2005/01/01/1104345033974.html|access-date=23 March 2016|archive-date=25 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325150159/http://www.theage.com.au/news/People/Kidnap-the-Princess-Not-bloody-likely/2005/01/01/1104345033974.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1983, she spoke about the event on ''[[Parkinson (TV series)|Parkinson]]'', saying she was 'scrupulously polite' to Ball as she thought it would be 'silly to be too rude at that stage'.<ref name="The Crown Chronicles"/>

Eventually, Anne exited the other side of the limousine, as had her [[lady-in-waiting]], Rowena Brassey. A passing pedestrian, a former boxer named Ron Russell, punched Ball and led Anne away from the scene. At that point, [[Police Constable]] Michael Hills happened upon the scene; he too was shot by Ball, but he had already called for police backup. [[Detective Constable]] [[Peter Edmonds]] answered, gave chase, and finally arrested Ball.<ref name="bbc1974" /> Beaton, who had been Anne's sole bodyguard, later said about royal security "I had nothing… There was no back-up vehicle. The training was non-existent; but then again, [we thought] nothing was going to happen. They are highly specialised now, highly trained." Immediately after the attack the use of only a single protection officer was stopped, and the Walther PPK pistol was replaced.<ref>{{cite news|last=Low|first=Valentine|date=10 February 2020|title=Princess Anne's bodyguard relives night he was shot foiling her kidnap|url=https://www.thetimes.com/uk/royal-family/article/princess-annes-bodyguard-relives-night-he-was-shot-foiling-her-kidnap-9qdwbmg79|work=[[The Times]]|publisher=[[News UK]]|location=UK|archive-date=18 October 2022|archive-url=https://archive.today/20221018213714/https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/princess-annes-bodyguard-relives-night-he-was-shot-foiling-her-kidnap-9qdwbmg79|url-status=live|url-access=subscription|access-date=19 October 2022}}</ref>

Beaton, Hills, Callender, and McConnell were hospitalised, and recovered from their wounds. For his defence of Princess Anne, Beaton was awarded the [[George Cross]] by the Queen, who was visiting [[Indonesia]] when the incident occurred;<ref name="The Crown Chronicles">{{Cite news|url=https://www.thecrownchronicles.co.uk/history/history-posts/the-windsors/royal-rewind-kidnap-attempt-princess-anne/|title=Royal Rewind – kidnap attempt on Princess Anne|date=20 March 2017|work=The Crown Chronicles|access-date=12 February 2018|language=en-GB|archive-date=12 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180212202519/https://www.thecrownchronicles.co.uk/history/history-posts/the-windsors/royal-rewind-kidnap-attempt-princess-anne/|url-status=live}}</ref> Hills and Russell were awarded the [[George Medal]], and Callender, McConnell, and Edmonds were awarded the [[Queen's Gallantry Medal]].<ref name="gaz46354">{{London Gazette|issue=46354 |supp=y|pages=8013–8014|date=26 September 1974}}</ref> Anne visited Beaton in hospital and thanked him for his assistance.<ref name="The Crown Chronicles"/> It was widely reported that the Queen paid off Russell's mortgage, but this is not true: Russell said in 2020 that a police officer suggested it might happen, so he stopped paying his mortgage in anticipation and nearly had his house repossessed after four months.<ref name="Mortgage Not Paid">{{Cite news|url=https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/03/man-saved-princess-annes-life-says-queen-not-pay-mortgage-12341253/|title=Man Who Thwarted Princess Anne's Kidnapping did not have his mortgage paid by the Queen|date=3 March 2020|language=en-GB|access-date=15 November 2021|archive-date=15 November 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211115100325/https://metro.co.uk/2020/03/03/man-saved-princess-annes-life-says-queen-not-pay-mortgage-12341253/|url-status=live}}</ref>

Ball pleaded guilty to attempted murder and kidnapping. {{As of|2024|03}}, he was still detained under the ''Mental Health Act'' at [[Broadmoor Hospital]], having been diagnosed with schizophrenia.<ref>{{cite news| last=Robertson| first=Kirsten| title=Princess Anne’s very Princess Anne reaction when lone gunman tried to kidnap her| newspaper=Metro| date=20 March 2024| url=https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/20/happened-a-lone-gunman-tried-kidnap-princess-anne-20444031/| access-date=20 March 2024| archive-date=20 March 2024| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240320132814/https://metro.co.uk/2024/03/20/happened-a-lone-gunman-tried-kidnap-princess-anne-20444031/| url-status=live}}</ref>

The attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne is the focus of the [[Granada Television]]-produced docudrama ''To Kidnap a Princess'' (2006) and inspired story lines in [[Tom Clancy]]'s novel ''[[Patriot Games]]''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Dunn|first1=Emma|title=Swindon Speedway boss Ronnie Russell recalls the night he saved Princess Anne|url=http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8326459.Swindon_Speedway_boss_Ronnie_Russell_recalls_the_night_he_saved_Princess_Anne_s_life/|archive-url=https://archive.today/20180121032154/http://www.swindonadvertiser.co.uk/news/8326459.Swindon_Speedway_boss_Ronnie_Russell_recalls_the_night_he_saved_Princess_Anne_s_life/|url-status=dead|archive-date=21 January 2018|website=The Swindon Advertiser|access-date=21 January 2018}}</ref>