The Day A 17-Year-Old Marcus Sarjeant Shot Blanks At The Queen In 1981
On a quiet June morning in 1981, the kind of day when national traditions meet the celebratory spirit of the public, a teenage boy from Folkestone, Kent, found himself at the centre of an unexpected and shocking event. Marcus Sarjeant, a 17-year-old with no violent past, would forever be remembered for firing blank shots at Queen Elizabeth II during the Trooping the Colour ceremony. This incident, though ultimately non-lethal, sent shockwaves through the United Kingdom and triggered a reevaluation of security measures, while revealing the deeper personal turmoil of a young man seeking notoriety.
The date was 13 June 1981, and London’s Horse Guards Parade was packed with onlookers as part of the annual Trooping the Colour ceremony, a longstanding tradition that marks the official birthday of the sovereign. It was a day steeped in British pomp and ceremony, with the Household Division putting on a grand parade for the Queen, who rode her horse, Burmese, as she had done for many years. The weather was pleasant, spirits were high, and as the Queen made her way down The Mall, thousands of spectators waved flags and cheered in celebration. Among them was Sarjeant, blending into the crowd, waiting for his moment.
Just after 11 a.m., as the Queen passed him, Sarjeant pulled out a starting pistol and fired six blank shots at the Queen. The sharp cracks pierced the celebratory atmosphere, causing immediate panic and confusion among the crowd. For a few tense moments, it was unclear whether the Queen had been targeted in an assassination attempt. The sound of gunfire stunned the spectators and the military guards alike, unsure whether the shots were real or a direct threat to Her Majesty’s life.
The Queen’s horse, Burmese, startled by the sudden noise, reared up. Yet, in what would later become one of the defining images of the day, Queen Elizabeth remained composed, gently patting and speaking to Burmese, quickly calming the horse and regaining control.
Meanwhile, Marcus Sarjeant stood still after firing the blanks, seemingly calm in the chaos. Within seconds, Trooper Michael Hills, a soldier in the Queen’s Guard, sprang into action. Hills dismounted from his horse and tackled Sarjeant to the ground, with help from several bystanders who rushed to restrain the teenager. Policemen quickly swarmed the scene and took Sarjeant into custody.
As he was dragged away from the scene, some in the crowd jeered and shouted insults at him. One man was reported to have yelled, “Let me get him!” reflecting the fury and shock of those who had witnessed the event. Throughout the arrest, Sarjeant reportedly remained disturbingly calm, even telling police and bystanders, “I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be somebody.”
The public, still reeling from the event, was at first unsure of whether the Queen had been injured or worse. The revelation that the shots had been blanks brought a collective sigh of relief, but the act itself was far from harmless. For a brief moment, it appeared as though British history might have taken a tragic turn.
Sarjeant’s Motives:
As police questioned Marcus Sarjeant, more details of his motivations began to emerge. He had no history of violence, nor was he part of any organised movement. Instead, his act was driven by a personal desire for recognition, a disturbed quest for fame. He admitted to police that he had long harboured fantasies of making history through a dramatic act. Sarjeant had been fascinated by infamous figures such as Mark David Chapman, who had murdered John Lennon in December 1980, and John Hinckley Jr., who had attempted to assassinate U.S. President Ronald Reagan just three months earlier.
Sarjeant told investigators that he had originally attempted to acquire live ammunition for his .455 Webley revolver but had failed. He settled for blanks, using a starting pistol to carry out his plan. His aim, he claimed, was not to kill the Queen but to draw attention to himself in the most dramatic way possible. Sarjeant later said,
“I did it because I wanted to be famous. I wanted to be known. I wanted to be a somebody instead of a nobody.”
In a particularly chilling detail, Sarjeant had written a letter to Buckingham Palace six months before the event, warning that he would do something significant to make his name known. The letter had gone unnoticed, and when Sarjeant stood in the crowd on that June day, he saw his opportunity to act on his disturbing fantasies.
The Aftermath and Arrest:
Sarjeant’s arrest was swift, and his capture was met with both relief and anger from the crowd. Trooper Hills, who had taken him down, was later commended for his quick thinking, while the public’s initial reaction of shock gave way to questions about how Sarjeant had managed to get so close to the Queen.
Sarjeant was charged under the Treason Act 1842, an archaic law that had not been used in over 80 years. The law was originally passed to protect the sovereign from acts of alarm or harm, and Sarjeant’s blank shots, though not lethal, were seen as a serious breach of this protection. During his trial at the Old Bailey in September 1981, Sarjeant pleaded guilty to the charge of wilfully discharging a firearm at the Queen. His defence team argued that Sarjeant had no intention to cause physical harm, but the psychological impact of his actions was undeniable.
Judge Sir John Arnold, in sentencing Sarjeant, made it clear that while the physical threat to the Queen had been minimal, the emotional and psychological effect of his actions could not be overlooked. “The Queen must have suffered considerable, albeit momentary, fear for her own safety,” he said. “You intended to create a situation of terror and panic, and you did so.” Sarjeant was sentenced to five years in prison.
In prison, Sarjeant underwent psychiatric evaluation and treatment. It was revealed that he had struggled with depression and feelings of inadequacy, contributing to his desire to gain attention in a way that would mark him out from the rest of society. He served three years of his sentence before being released in October 1984. Upon his release, Sarjeant disappeared from public view, and little is known about his life after prison, aside from reports that he expressed regret for his actions.
Security Reforms:
In the immediate aftermath of the event, the security surrounding the royal family was overhauled. The incident had highlighted vulnerabilities in the protection of the monarch during public events like Trooping the Colour. As a result, royal security became significantly more stringent, with undercover officers placed in crowds at such events, and stricter screening of those attending public parades.