6 British royals who survived attempted assassinations: Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles and Queen Victoria have been fired at – while Princess Anne famously resisted her would-be kidnapper

Jul 24 , 2022

Prince Charles, Queen Elizabeth and Princess Anne of Britain have all survived failed assassination attempts. Photos: TNS, Press Association, Instagram

Royals can be subject to dangers too – Queen Elizabeth survived three failed attempts and Queen Victoria had eight incidents that backfired on attackers

In true Brit fashion, Princess Anne kept a cool head despite almost being abducted; King James I famously found Guy Fawkes; and King Edward VIII also missed his attacker’s shot

We know that no one can be loved by all the people all the time, especially when you’re in the public eye, but after the recent Platinum Jubilee outpouring of love shown the world over for the British royal family, it’s hard to think that there are people and organisations out there who have attempted to end the lives of those in the family.

Here are six times people have attempted to assassinate British royals.

1. Prince Charles

Britain’s Prince Charles waves to members of the public during a visit to Cockington Court in Torquay, England, on July 20. Photo: AP

The view of the royals in Australia has always been slightly complicated, but things took a frightening turn back in 1994 when Prince Charles, Prince of Wales, was giving a speech at an Australia Day ceremony. David Kang, who was 23 at the time, leapt over a fence at the event being held in Sydney and fired two shots at the heir to the throne.

Prince Charles in Sydney 1994 (and the security scare)

Although the weapon was later shown to be a starting pistol loaded with blank bullets, security leapt into action immediately. Security and politicians alike were quick to tackle Kang as the guest of honour was swiftly taken away from the speaker’s podium.

A VIP who was on stage at the time remarked, according to the Los Angeles Times, that Prince Charles was as “cool as a cucumber” throughout the incident.

2. King James I

King James I was born in 1566. Photo: @officialkingjamesi/Instagram