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Marcus Serjeant aimed a pistol directly at Her Majesty as she made
her down Horseguards’ Parade for the beginning of the Trooping the
Colour ceremony. The assailant fired six blank cartridges before
being tackled by a Guardsman and police.
The shots startled Burmese, The Queen’s 18 year old horse, but she
was able get Burmese under control within a few seconds. Her
Majesty was only a mere 15 minutes into her ride down the Mall and
was making the turn into Horseguards’ Parade when the shots were
fired.
The Queen was visibly shaken by the episode, but soon regained her
composure as well as reassured Burmese, the horse she has ridden
since 1969 for Trooping the Colour.
This is not the first time a Royal family member was in harm’s way.
7 year prior, Princess Anne and her
then husband Captain Mark Phillips escaped a kidnap attempt during
which four people were injured. The royal couple was returning
to Buckingham Palace along The Mall when their Rolls-Royce was made
to stop by another car which obstructed their route.
The Princess’s protection officer, Inspector James Beaton got off a
shot at the man before he was wounded and Alex Callender; one of
The Queen’s senior drivers and chauffeur for the evening was also
injured.
In 1936, about a half mile away from where shots were fired at Her
Majesty, King Edward VIII encountered a man with a loaded
pistol.
Queen Victoria saw numerous assassination attempts over the course
of her 1837-1901 reign.
Marcus Simon Serjeant was jailed for five years under the 1842
Treason Act. The law had not been used since 1966.
Serjeant served a little over three years in jail and was released
in October 1984.
photo credit: Leonard Bentley via photopin
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