How Princess Anne foiled a kidnap attempt – and why the British elite SAS abducted Meghan, Kate and Diana before their royal weddings

Aug 24 , 2020

As well as etiquette training and advice on handling the media, Meghan Markle, pictured with husband Prince Harry, was trained by the SAS on how to handle hostile situations. Photo: AP

Ever since the attempted abduction of Princess Anne by a gunman in 1974, royal princesses-to-be, including Meghan, Kate and Diana, have been ‘kidnapped’ by the British special forces

Becoming a modern-day princess is not just about spectacular palaces and balls, charity events and a fabulous wardrobe; there are plenty of not-so glamorous things to learn.

Besides in-depth etiquette and media training, the British royal family also put their princesses-to-be through rigorous security drills.

Finding Freedom: Harry and Meghan and the Making of A Modern Family, reveals details of Meghan’s security training. Photo handout

In Finding Freedom by Omid Scobie and Carolyn Durand, the latest book on the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, they reveal how Meghan “underwent an intense two-day security course with the SAS, the British Army’s most elite regiment”, where she was bundled into a car during a fake kidnapping before being “rescued” by the elite force.

This was widely reported on in 2018 before her wedding to Prince Harry, but it is something not just new royals like Meghan, Kate Middleton and Harry’s mother Diana, Princess of Wales, had to endure, but all the young royals, too.

It’s hardly surprising that security is taken so seriously as a royal kidnapping was attempted in 1974 just after Princess Anne’s wedding to Captain Mark Philips. The couple were driving back along the Mall towards Buckingham Palace after a charity event in London when a lone gunman stopped the royal Rolls-Royce and shot a member of security before trying to grab the princess. Several passers-by bravely stopped to help; one of them was a boxer who was able to hit the gunman. The queen’s only daughter used her initiative too and the couple were able to escape unharmed and the gunman was captured.

Although the royal family are escorted by highly-trained bodyguards from a special unit called Protection Command, the royals need to learn how to deal with a kidnapping attempt as well.

Princess Diana also went through security training ahead of her marriage to Prince Charles. Photo: AP

In 1983, Princess Diana and Prince Charles drove to SAS headquarters in Hereford for their training session where something went wrong. They had to play hostages being rescued by SAS soldiers in what they nickname the Killing House building on their base. The SAS actually use live ammunition for this. But, during Diana’s training, a stray pellet from a grenade landed on the right side of her head, setting fire to her hair. Thanks to some quick reactions, she was saved from serious injury and just needed to cut her hair a little shorter to cover the damage.