A 77-year-old man who tried to abduct Princess Anne more than five decades ago has been released from psychiatric detention.
Ian Ball left Broadmoor Hospital on probation in 2019, following his indefinite confinement under the Mental Health Act and has now been freed from the high-security facility.
Royal security officials and the Princess Royal have been notified about Ball’s release.
Buckingham Palace has not issued any statement regarding the matter.
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The Princess Royal has been notified regarding Ian Ball’s release.
Ball has spent most of his adult life in the psychiatric hospital.
He was 26 when the courts ordered his detention following a violent incident in March 1974.
Ball stalked Princess Anne before blocking her vehicle with his Ford Escort on a London street.
He threatened her with firearms and physically grabbed her arm whilst her then-spouse, Captain Mark Phillips, pulled her in the opposite direction, tearing her velvet gown.
The princess reportedly responded to Ball’s demands with the words: “Not bloody likely.”
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Ball stalked Princess Anne before blocking her vehicle with his Ford Escort on a London street.
Four men who intervened were shot during the attack – the royal’s protection officer, her driver, a police officer and a reporter.
Ball later pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to kidnapping charges and two counts of attempted murder.
In an interview with the Daily Mail, Ball said: “I’m an innocent, sane man because I had good reason to believe the gunpowder had been taken out of the bullets and another girl had been substituted for Princess Anne.”
Ball alleges the incident was orchestrated as a “hoax” with an unidentified police officer called Frank, who supposedly emptied his ammunition and arranged for someone else to impersonate Princess Anne.
No such officer has ever been identified.
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The princess reportedly responded to Ball’s demands with the words: “Not bloody likely.”
He has written a self-published work titled “To Kidnap A Princess” in which he asserts his innocence.
Ball claims his motivation was publicity for his autobiography, expecting to earn £10,000 in royalties.
He considers apologising to those he shot would be pointless.
Ball told the Mail that Princess Anne “wasn’t bothered on the night” and claimed: “I didn’t scare her. I was more scared than she was.”
The Ministry of Justice confirmed that individuals released under restriction orders can be returned to hospital if their mental condition worsens and they present an unmanageable community risk.