Nobody was expecting the events of 20 March 1974. A 23-year-old Princess Anne was travelling home from one more dreary public engagement when a would-be kidnapper arrived on the scene. Fifteen minutes later, four men had been seriously injured and Anne had narrowly escaped with her life.
The Princess’s popularity was riding high at the time. Previously dismissed as aloof and prickly, people were impressed by her commitment to charity, her equestrian exploits had won her the title of BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 1971, and her relationship with Mark Phillips had gobbled up its share of column inches. Their marriage in November 1973 had been a decidedly glamorous
