How did Ian Ball explain his “innocence” claim in the infamous 1974 Princess Anne’s kidnapping?

Ian Ball, after 51 years of being referred to as the man who attempted to kidnap Princess Anne, is trying to change the narrative. For those unversed, Ball in 1974 blocked the Rolls-Royce that the Princess was being driven in began firing shots.

As a result of his shooting, two men in the princess’s vehicle were injured—her chauffeur, Alex Callendar, and James Beaton, a private investigator. In the chaos that followed, Ian Ball climbed into the front seat of the Rolls-Royce and ordered the princess to get out, but a passerby thwarted his plans.

In a letter to Queen Elizabeth, Ball seemingly admitted to planning the kidnapping of the 23-year-old, adding that he intended to receive a ransom of $4 million thereabout for the kidnapped princess. He was charged with the attempted murder of private investigator Beaton and sentenced to spend the rest of his life in a psychiatric hospital.

He was released in 2019 and has since published a book about the events of the attempted kidnapping. He is reportedly visiting the scene from decades ago to prove his innocence.

In an exclusive interview with The Daily Mail published on August 1, 2025, Ian Ball, now 77, emphasized that he was not guilty because he thought it was a fake kidnapping. The ex-convict added that he believed that there wasn’t gunpowder in the guns and the princess had been exchanged for someone else:

"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."

“I was more scared than she was,” Ian Ball recounts the attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne in 1974

Ian Ball was released on probation in 2019 and has been working to clear his name. In his latest interview with The Daily Mail, Ball reiterated a statement he had made years ago after his guilty plea.

The attempted kidnap was a practical joke that was arranged by a friend of his in the police force. He can’t remember many details about “the friend” but recalled that his name was "Frank".

Ball also claimed to the news outlet that he opted to carry out the "hoax" because he wanted to be popular enough to write his autobiography and get money from the royalties. Speaking on the kidnapping incident, Ball also claimed that it would be a "waste of time" to apologize to the men he shot.

Ball alleged that Anne, who was 23 years old at the time of the attempted kidnap, was not scared of him at all. He said that even with the two guns in his hands, he had been more scared of her.

"She wasn't bothered on the night... I didn't scare her. I was more scared than she was."

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