Princess Anne’s Former Bodyguard Who Was Shot Speaks Out About Her Violent Kidnap Attempt and What Changed After That Attack
Most royal fans have heard the story about what took place nearly 50 years ago when Queen Elizabeth II’s only daughter, Princess Anne, was almost abducted in a violent kidnap attempt. But not many people have heard what her former bodyguard, who was shot during the incident, had to say about what happened.
Here’s what Jim Beaton, the Princess Royal’s security officer, remembers from the chaos that unfolded that day and what “changed overnight” for the royal family.
What happened when the would-be kidnapper tried to abduct Princess Anne
The princess was born on Aug. 15, 1950. Before she was even 2 years old, her mother became the monarch. Therefore, Anne spent much of her life in the public eye and committed to royal service when she was a teenager.
On March 20, 1974, Anne and her then-husband Captain Mark Phillips were traveling by car to Buckingham Palace after leaving a charity event when a white Ford Escort pulled in front of them and brought their Rolls Royce limousine to a halt.
A man, later identified as Ian Ball, exited the vehicle with two handguns. At that moment Inspector Beaton jumped out of the car and Ball shot him. The driver of Anne’s vehicle, Alexander Callendar, tried to intervene but was shot too. The princess’s bodyguard fired one shot back and then his gun jammed.
When Ball threatened to shoot Anne if he didn’t put down his weapon, Beaton complied. The assailant then pulled opened the limo door and told the queen’s daughter to get out but she refused and Phillips held onto her. Beaton was able to get back into the car before Ball shot him twice.
What Anne’s former bodyguard remembers about the incident and being shot
Beaton recently spoke to The Times about what was going through his mind as he tried to protect the princess and got shot.
“I thought it was somebody who wanted to be a pain in the neck,” the former officer recalled when Ball stopped the car. “There was no hint of what was to happen.”
After being hit by gunfire, Beaton said: “I felt tired and very drunk, although I hadn’t been drinking. I just wanted to lie down.”
Ball fled the scene but the authorities eventually located and apprehended him.
What the royals realized had to change after that day
Following the kidnapping attempt, it became clear that the royals needed to have more than just one protection officer and they had to be trained to handle dangerous situations.
“I had nothing. There was no backup vehicle,” Beaton told The Times per Express. “The training was non-existent; but then again, [we thought] nothing was going to happen. They are highly specialized now, highly trained.”
When Anne visited Beaton in hospital, she was accompanied by two policemen and he said: “From then on, that’s what it was.”
