The people of England have been left very surprised by the latest information that has come to light regarding the well-known attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne. The man who saved her at that time has decided to break his silence to speak about the developments in this case.
It was in March 1974 when Anne was approached by Ian Ball, a young man who was 26 years old at the time. The attack took place on The Mall, London, where Ball shot at four people who tried to intervene.
Subsequently, the striker was brought before the Old Bailey court, where he confessed to having tried to kidnap Princess Anne and attack several people. After this confession, the judge ordered his detention "without time limit" under the Mental Health Act.
However, he has now been discharged from the maximum security Broadmoor hospital, under parole, at 77 years old. This information has not been communicated through official channels.
As expected, this news has caused great unease among those who experienced the attack. The revealing statements of Ronnie Russell, the man who saved Princess Anne, are proof of this.
The man who saved Princess Anne from being kidnapped rebels against Ian Ball's release
Ronnie "The Old Man" Russell, the citizen who intervened to prevent Princess Anne's kidnapping, has expressed his disagreement after the recent release of the striker. "I should've hit him harder," he said as soon as he heard the news.
On the night of the attack, Ronnie was driving along The Mall when Ball approached the royal vehicle, where King Charles III's sister was. It was then that the striker tried to kidnap her to demand three million pounds from Queen Elizabeth as ransom.
After witnessing this scene, Russell didn't think twice about stopping his car to prevent the tragic fate that awaited Princess Anne. Although he was threatened with a gun, this man confronted Ball directly and delivered three decisive blows.
Now, after being released, Ian Ball has started a campaign to overturn his conviction. He has also denied the events, claiming that the kidnapping was a "hoax." All this despite having confessed to the crimes, including the attempted murder of two police officers at Old Bailey in 1974.
Meanwhile, in statements to the Daily Mail, Ronnie Russell has shown his frustration over the kidnapper's release: "I can't believe they've released Ball, it's ridiculous. I should've hit him a bit harder. Am I worried he'll come looking for me? Let's go further: give him my address and this time I'll do better."
The savior of Princess Anne has also wanted to take the opportunity to firmly refute the version that Ian Ball has now given about what happened that day:
"Now he says: 'None of that happened, there wasn't supposed to be any gunpowder in the bullets.' It's absolutely impossible, because it happened. I was there, watching him plead guilty... He should be sent back to Broadmoor."
After his attempted kidnapping of Princess Anne, Ian Ball spent 45 years in two high-security psychiatric centers, first in Rampton and then in Broadmoor. In 2019, during his stay, he spent thousands of dollars to publish his book To Kill a Princess.
A situation that Ronnie Russell doesn't look upon favorably: "I don't understand why they released him, why a publisher agreed to print his autobiography, or why he had benefits to save money and go to Barbados. I'll go to Barbados at the end of this year, but it's because I worked to achieve it. They've spoiled him too much and it's been too easy for him."