<div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Four people were shot in a </span><a href="https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/princess-anne-kidnapping-attempt-1974-what-happened-history-explainer/4e5bf4ab-4fc1-4c75-b649-828ad62582ab" rel="" target="" title="botched kidnapping attempt on Princess Anne"><span>botched kidnapping attempt on Princess Anne</span></a><span> on </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="March 20, 1974"><span>March 20, 1974</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The princess was returning to </span><a href="https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/buckingham-palace-all-the-signs-monarchs-wont-live-there-again/17d7f55f-aa69-4931-89d4-6251dd7a1beb" rel="" target="" title="Buckingham Palace"><span>Buckingham Palace</span></a><span> from a movie when a car forced her Rolls Royce to stop on </span><a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/queen-elizabeth-death-uk-mourners-set-up-tents-pall-mall/83252127-7359-44f4-b2b1-17db9904bbef" rel="" target="" title="Pall Mall"><span>Pall Mall</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The would-be kidnapper Ian Ball jumped from his car and opened fire, striking driver Alexander Callender and bodyguard James Beaton.</span></div></div><div><div id="adspot-mobile-medium"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-18-what-happened-on-this-day/f02c3791-b3fb-40ac-9f58-1b118b25ca4c" rel="" target="" title="Dictator's son commits the biggest bank heist of all time"><strong><span>Dictator's son commits the biggest bank heist of all time</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"I want you to come with me for a day or two, because I want two million," Ball told Anne as she hid in the backseat.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Will you get out of the car?"</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Anne famously replied: "Not bloody likely. And I haven't got two million."</span></div></div><div><div class="OUTBRAIN" data-reactroot="" data-src="//www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-20-what-happened-on-this-day-princess-anne-kidnapping/28eae109-7afb-4aec-84fa-6cb5face085e" data-widget-id="AR_5"></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>A reporter who just happened to be walking past recognised Anne's car and approached the gunman.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"Don't be silly, old boy. Put the gun down," he said.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ball shot him in the chest.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>When a police officer arrived, Ball shot him in the stomach.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-19-what-happened-on-this-day-voskhod-2/79051106-a7f2-4209-b348-646a1fc97eed"><strong><span>Astronauts had to battle for survival after spacecraft lands in deeply remote forest</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Over the course of 15 minutes, Ball and Anne argued, with the princess refusing to get out of the car.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>It was at this point that retired heavyweight Ronnie Russell happened to drive past and saw the commotion.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>The 6'4" heavyweight parked his car, walked over and intervened as Anne became caught in a tug-of-war between Ball and her </span><a href="https://honey.nine.com.au/royals/princess-anne-mark-phillips-wedding-details/d6fdfd0f-27b1-4ec6-bc62-7de2ea901eb4" rel="" target="" title="newlywed husband Mark Phillips"><span>newlywed husband Mark Phillips</span></a><span>.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"She was calm. She said: 'Go away you silly man'," Russell said later.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"At that point I thought it was now or never. I hit Ball very hard, square on the chin."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>"The only person I did not want to get shot was Princess Anne."</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-12-what-happened-on-this-day/1d873918-5057-4a15-a8e6-4e0da54eb438"><strong><span>How a stationery store owner crashed an entire economy</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>All the men shot in the kidnapping attempt survived.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Russell later said that two police officers told him that </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/queen-elizabeth-ii" rel="" target="" title="the Queen"><span>the Queen</span></a><span> would pay off his mortgage as a thank you.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>In anticipation of this, he stopped making his repayments.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>But the policemen's comments turned out not to be true, and he lost his home.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/queen-elizabeth-ii" rel="" target="" title="The Queen"><span>The Queen</span></a><span> did later award him the </span><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/war-medals-go-under-the-hammer/7ff78df2-ab5d-4262-83b1-e5be967966de" rel="" target="" title="George Cross"><span>George Cross</span></a><span>, the highest civilian honour for bravery.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><span>Ball would plead guilty to three counts of attempted murder and kidnapping. He was detained for 45 years and released in 2019.</span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><strong><span>READ MORE: </span></strong><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/world/today-in-history-march-11-what-happened-on-this-day-claude-francois/d813231a-713a-40d7-84f2-31b31aca6ebb"><strong><span>Superstar dies in freak bathroom accident</span></strong></a><span></span></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><a href="https://www.9news.com.au/today-in-history" rel="" target="" title="For more from our Today in History archive, click here."><strong><span>For more from our Today in History archive, click here</span></strong></a><strong></strong></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><em><strong><span>NEVER MISS A STORY: Get your breaking news and exclusive stories first by following us across all platforms.</span></strong></em></div></div><div class="block-content"><div class="styles__Container-sc-1ylecsg-0 goULFa"><ul><li><p><em><strong><span>Download the 9NEWS App here via</span></strong></em><em><span> </span></em><a href="https://apps.apple.com/au/app/9news/id1010533727"><em><strong><span>Apple</span></strong></em></a><em><span> </span></em><em><strong><span>and</span></strong></em><em><span> </span></em><a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=nineNewsAlerts.nine.com&amp;hl=en_AU&amp;pli=1"><em><strong><span>Google Play</span></strong></em></a><em></em></p></li><li><p><em><strong><span>Make 9News your preferred source on Google by</span></strong></em><em><span> </span></em><a href="https://www.google.com/preferences/source?q=9news.com.au"><em><strong><span>ticking this box here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></p></li><li><p><em><strong><span>Sign up to</span></strong></em><em><span> </span></em><a href="https://login.nine.com.au/edm?client_id=nineatnine"><em><strong><span>our breaking newsletter here</span></strong></em></a><em></em></p></li></ul></div></div>