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Inside kidnap bid on Princess Anne that saw her held at gunpoint and three men shot
Princess Anne left her held at gunpoint with a ripped dress as three men were shot in the terrifying ordeal.Anne, Princess Royal, survived her kidnapping attempt back in 1974 after an Escort driver, Ian Ball, attempted to capture the Princess who had just visited Buckingham Palace with her at-the-time husband, Mark Philips.Princess Anne's car had come to a stop and Ball jumped out brandishing a pistol, with personal protection officer to the Princess Royal, Inspector James Beaton, attempting to detain Ball.READ MORE: German magazine 'Die Queen' frontpage misinterpreted in awkward translation blunderHe suffered a gunshot wound to the arm after his Walther PPK jammed and Ball opened fire.Two other men were injured by Ball including Anne's chauffeur and a nearby journalist who had attempted to intervene.Ball then approached Anne and told her he intended to kidnap her and hold her ransom, with various sources citing anywhere between £2million to £3million.He claimed to want the hostage money to give to the National Health Service to fund its mental health treatment, and told Anne to get out of the car, to which Anne allegedly responded: "Not bloody likely."Boxer Ronnie Russell, who happened to be passing at the time, attacked Ball and bought the Princess Royal some time for police to arrive, and as a reward he was given the "Jorge" medal and the mortgage on his home was paid off by the Queen, WBA reported.Princess Anne confirmed the story years later on an interview appearance where she also spoke of a rip she received to her dress at the time.She said: "It got slightly rougher at one stage - we did in fact - when he shot the policeman and we managed to close the door, he got the door back open."But in the process of getting
