‘There is an assassin set up to kill you’: Chilling words of 17-year-old who fired six blank shots at the Queen during Trooping the Colour in 1981 after sending warning to letter to Palace

Due to his ongoing cancer treatment, His Majesty will not appear on horseback for Trooping the Color today.

Instead, he will watch the proceedings from a relatively stress-free position in a carriage before making the traditional appearance on the balcony of Buckingham Palace.

But in June 1981, Trooping was particularly stressful for Charles’ mother, the Queen, when 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots at her.

Her Majesty was riding her beloved horse Burmese through The Mall when the shots rang out, frightening her horse.

Showing her poise and composure under pressure, the queen calmed her horse and continued with her duties while Sarjeant was tackled by a soldier and subsequently arrested.

Before the attack, Sarjeant had sent a letter to Buckingham Palace with the chilling text: ‘Your Majesty. Do not go to the Trooping the Color ceremony, because there is an assassin ready to kill you, waiting just outside the palace.”

However, the note arrived three days after the incident.

In 1981, Trooping was particularly stressful for the Queen, when 17-year-old Marcus Sarjeant fired six separate shots at her

Her Majesty was riding her beloved horse Burmese through The Mall when the shots rang out, frightening her horse

Sarjeant is said to have told Lance Corporal Alex Galloway, the soldier who subdued him: ‘I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be someone.’

He was later sentenced to five years in prison under the 1842 Treason Act, which was introduced after two men attempted attempts on Queen Victoria’s life.

Lance Corporal Galloway told the Mail after the incident: ‘My only thought was to save the Queen’s life.

‘I thought it was a real gun and dived over the barrier into the crowd and grabbed it.

‘I grabbed him by the hair and pulled him into the Mall. Within seconds the police arrived and took him away.”

During police interrogation after his arrest, Sarjeant claimed he was inspired by the recent assassination attempts on US President Ronald Reagan and Pope John Paul II, and the murder of John Lennon a year earlier.

Sarjeant had previously attempted to join the police and fire brigades and had also attempted to join the Royal Marines.

Queen Elizabeth II riding Burmese during Trooping the Color in 1981

The Queen rides her horse Burmese during Trooping the Colour, 1981

Sarjeant was later jailed for five years under the 1842 Treason Act, which was introduced after two men attempted attempts on Queen Victoria’s life.

The moment after Marcus Sarjeant fired blank shots at the Queen during Trooping the Colour

He also enlisted in the army, but left after only two days of induction.

He became involved in the anti-royalist movement and bought two imitation Colt Python revolvers for £66.90.

Both weapons were only capable of firing blanks, but Sarjeant had also tried to obtain live ammunition for his father’s pistol but was unsuccessful.

Sarjeant’s grandmother Sylvia told the Mail before his sentencing: “I love the Royal Family, all of them, especially the Queen and the Queen Mother, and I am heartbroken that my grandson has to be accused of something like this.”

While serving his three-year prison sentence, he reportedly wrote a letter to the Queen to apologize, but received no response.

She didn’t let the 1981 incident change her plans; the following year she was back on her horse for Trooping.

The Daily Mail’s reporting told how Sarjeant was accused of treason. He was sentenced to five years in prison