In the firing line! King Charles, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip's most dangerous moments on the job
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We all know that being a royal comes with a lot of responsibility but did you know that it can also be quite dangerous?
Throughout history, there have been many examples of people going to great lengths to get the attention of – or show their displeasure with – a member of the royal family.
From blank shots to eggs and even a flower, read on to find out more about the times when royalty was targeted in the line of duty.
1981: The Queen was shot with blanks by a 17-year-old
Among the many notable events that took place in the royal family in 1981 was Prince Charles's marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales and an attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
As the Queen rode by crowds on horseback during the Trooping the Colour ritual, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant shot six blank cartridges at her.
Queen Elizabeth's horse was temporarily spooked by the gunfire, but she quickly had it under control again. The monarch appeared shaken by the event but she swiftly recovered and soothed her 19-year-old horse, Burmese.
She went on with the ceremony as if nothing had happened
A soldier and the police then tackled the offender, who was then taken into custody and charged. As a guardsman and police tried to take him into custody, the young man told them, 'I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be somebody.'
He was eventually found guilty and sent to prison. He spent three years at HMP Grendon Underwood and got out in 1982 when he was 20.
Following that, he decided to start over, so he legally changed his name. He also tried to apologise to the Queen by writing to her but his letters went unanswered.
Credit: ITN Archive.
1986: The Queen and Prince Philip were targeted with eggs in New Zealand
According to the police, Queen Elizabeth II was struck by an egg thrown by protesters who were upset about a treaty between Britain and New Zealand's Maori people, which has been in effect for 146 years.
While riding in an open vehicle with her husband, Prince Philip, the Queen was pelted with eggs by two ladies impersonating crowd control guards. One egg hit the Queen's coat, and egg yolk flowed down her pink dress, while another egg splashed the car's windshield.
The monarch appeared to be surprised but she swiftly composed herself. Later that evening, during the supper, Her Majesty joked about the situation, adding, 'Of course, New Zealand has long been renowned for its dairy produce.'
Credit: reelsarency/ITN Source.
1994: Charles was shot with blanks
While attending a 1994 event in Sydney, an Australian protester came on stage with a pistol and fired two blank bullets at Prince Charles.
David Kang, a 23-year-old university student, shot blanks as a way to protest how Cambodian asylum seekers were being treated in detention camps across Australia. Kang's protest came after it was reported he had written more than 500 letters about the issue to newspapers and other influential people around the world, including the royal.
Although it was not believed that Kang was attempting to assassinate the then-Prince, the student was charged, convicted guilty, and sentenced to 500 hours of community service for threatening unlawful violence.
Credit: ABC News (Australia).
2001: Latvian schoolgirl slaps Charles across the face with a rose
When Prince Charles visited Latvia in 2001, he was targeted by 16-year-old student Alina Lebedyver.
Alina slapped him across the face with a rose before explaining that she did it to show her opposition to the war in Afghanistan. She also declared that Britain was 'the enemy of the world' to reporters.
She was facing up to 15 years in prison after being accused of threatening the life of a foreign dignitary. Luckily, Charles asked for leniency, and the charges against her were lowered. Eventually, she was put under her mother's watch for a year.
While we can all agree that being a royal definitely has its perks, it's also important to remember that it comes with a lot of dangers as well. We're glad to see that, despite all of these close calls, all of the royals involved were able to walk away unscathed!
What are your thoughts, members? Do you remember any other events where a royal was almost put in danger? Share them in the comments below!
Throughout history, there have been many examples of people going to great lengths to get the attention of – or show their displeasure with – a member of the royal family.
From blank shots to eggs and even a flower, read on to find out more about the times when royalty was targeted in the line of duty.
Being a member of a royal family comes with a great deal of duty and danger. Credit: Instagram/theroyalfamily.
1981: The Queen was shot with blanks by a 17-year-old
Among the many notable events that took place in the royal family in 1981 was Prince Charles's marriage to Diana, Princess of Wales and an attempt on the life of Queen Elizabeth II.
As the Queen rode by crowds on horseback during the Trooping the Colour ritual, 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant shot six blank cartridges at her.
Queen Elizabeth's horse was temporarily spooked by the gunfire, but she quickly had it under control again. The monarch appeared shaken by the event but she swiftly recovered and soothed her 19-year-old horse, Burmese.
She went on with the ceremony as if nothing had happened
A soldier and the police then tackled the offender, who was then taken into custody and charged. As a guardsman and police tried to take him into custody, the young man told them, 'I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be somebody.'
He was eventually found guilty and sent to prison. He spent three years at HMP Grendon Underwood and got out in 1982 when he was 20.
Following that, he decided to start over, so he legally changed his name. He also tried to apologise to the Queen by writing to her but his letters went unanswered.
Credit: ITN Archive.
1986: The Queen and Prince Philip were targeted with eggs in New Zealand
According to the police, Queen Elizabeth II was struck by an egg thrown by protesters who were upset about a treaty between Britain and New Zealand's Maori people, which has been in effect for 146 years.
While riding in an open vehicle with her husband, Prince Philip, the Queen was pelted with eggs by two ladies impersonating crowd control guards. One egg hit the Queen's coat, and egg yolk flowed down her pink dress, while another egg splashed the car's windshield.
The monarch appeared to be surprised but she swiftly composed herself. Later that evening, during the supper, Her Majesty joked about the situation, adding, 'Of course, New Zealand has long been renowned for its dairy produce.'
Credit: reelsarency/ITN Source.
1994: Charles was shot with blanks
While attending a 1994 event in Sydney, an Australian protester came on stage with a pistol and fired two blank bullets at Prince Charles.
David Kang, a 23-year-old university student, shot blanks as a way to protest how Cambodian asylum seekers were being treated in detention camps across Australia. Kang's protest came after it was reported he had written more than 500 letters about the issue to newspapers and other influential people around the world, including the royal.
Although it was not believed that Kang was attempting to assassinate the then-Prince, the student was charged, convicted guilty, and sentenced to 500 hours of community service for threatening unlawful violence.
Credit: ABC News (Australia).
2001: Latvian schoolgirl slaps Charles across the face with a rose
When Prince Charles visited Latvia in 2001, he was targeted by 16-year-old student Alina Lebedyver.
Alina slapped him across the face with a rose before explaining that she did it to show her opposition to the war in Afghanistan. She also declared that Britain was 'the enemy of the world' to reporters.
She was facing up to 15 years in prison after being accused of threatening the life of a foreign dignitary. Luckily, Charles asked for leniency, and the charges against her were lowered. Eventually, she was put under her mother's watch for a year.
While we can all agree that being a royal definitely has its perks, it's also important to remember that it comes with a lot of dangers as well. We're glad to see that, despite all of these close calls, all of the royals involved were able to walk away unscathed!
What are your thoughts, members? Do you remember any other events where a royal was almost put in danger? Share them in the comments below!
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