Ball had brought two handguns with him. As Beaton walked around the Austin, still thinking this was a traffic altercation, Ball shot him in the shoulder from around two metres away. The unemployed Ball had come anticipating violence, and was prepared to use his weapons. He told police: “Well, the police, that’s their job. They expect to be shot. I took a chance at getting shot, so why shouldn’t they?”

Ball then approached the Austin, pulling on the door. The princess and her husband held onto the handle tightly.

Beaton, wounded, got back into the car, putting his body between Ball and the royal couple. Ball shot a second time, hitting Beaton again, and then shot Beaton point blank in the chest. The driver, Callender, got out the car. Ball shot him and he fell back into the vehicle.

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A very British (and right royal) response

Ball then managed to wrestle open the door and grab Princess Anne by the arm. She said he told her: “Please come out, you’ve got to come”, to which she famously replied: “Not bloody likely!”

Ball tugged on the princess and Phillips tugged on her other arm, and the two men carried on what the princess went on to describe as “a very irritating conversation”, according to The Smithsonian, about whether they were or weren’t going to go with the assailant.

On talk show Parkinson in the 1980s, she said: “I was scrupulously polite because I thought it would be silly to be rude at that stage.” She also said that she did not want to lose her temper for fear that she may hit him, and he may shoot her.

During the tug of war, the seam split on her floor length gown, about which she later joked: “That was his most dangerous moment. I lost my rag at that moment.”

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By this stage, the commotion had attracted police constable Michael Hills, 22 at the time, who had heard “popping noises”. He approached Ball, thinking it was a traffic altercation, and Ball shot him in the stomach. Hill fell back, but was able to radio his station that he had been shot.

As the princess described it on Parkinson: “[Hill] wandered over and tapped the man on the shoulder, and was shot. And then we went back to having this tedious discussion about not going anywhere.”

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A passing driver named Glenmore Martin pulled in front of the Ford, blocking it. He moved to distract Ball, but Ball pointed his gun at him, so he instead turned to offering help to the wounded Constable Hills.

Journalist John Brian McConnell then appeared on the scene, challenged the gunman, and was also shot.

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Another driver, Ron Russell, was heading home from work. He saw Ball shoot Hills and he said later to Eastern Daily Press: “I thought, ‘That’s a liberty! He needs sorting.’” A former heavyweight boxer, he joined the fray, and as Ball and Princess Anne were arguing, he walked up and punched Ball in the back of the head. Ball turned and fired at Russell, but missed.

The distraction gave the princess the opportunity to reach the door handle behind her and she somersaulted out the other side of the car. She reasoned that her getting out would force the attacker to move, and she was right. Ball tried to run around the car towards Anne, and she jumped back into the car, closing both doors. Russell punched Ball again, and he went down.

Regaining his feet, Ball took off across St James’ Park. Peter Edmonds, a detective constable, gave chase, and tossed his coat over Ball’s head, tackling him and making the arrest. The ordeal was over.

The entire event had taken 10 minutes.

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The aftermath

Inside Ball’s vehicle, police found handcuffs, tranquilisers and a ransom note demanding £2 million (US$2.77 million) in £5 notes to be placed in 20 suitcases, and a demand that he be sent on a plane to Switzerland. The note apparently included the words “Anne will be shot dead”.

Little is known about Ball and his motivation, but he said at his trial: “I would like to say that I did it to draw attention to the lack of facilities for treating mental health under the National Health Service.”

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All who were shot that night went on to recover. Queen Elizabeth awarded the George Cross, Britain’s highest civilian award for courage to Inspector Beaton. She presented the George Medal to Hills and Ronald Russell, and Queen’s Gallantry Medals to Edmonds and Callender. Glenmore Martin received the Queen’s Commendation for brave conduct. According to the BBC, Russell recounted that, when the queen awarded his medal, she said: “The award comes from the queen, the ‘thank you’ comes from Anne’s mother.”

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