A life in the spotlight comes with its drawbacks – many of which the Royal Family are all too aware of.

As well as intense media scrutiny, the royals have also faced attempted kidnappings, home invasions and even assassination plots.

In light of these threats the most famous family in Britain has learnt to take extra precautions to avoid harm.

And one royal took this to the extreme.

Diana, Princess of Wales, was so concerned about her wellbeing that she took a ‘dangerous’ driving course and learnt how to use a gun, according to Andrew Morton’s bestselling biography, Diana: Her True Story. 

Diana’s fears for her wellbeing reportedly stemmed from her bodyguard.

‘The presence of a bodyguard was a constant reminder of the invisible veil which separated her from her family and friends.

‘It was the awareness that she is now a possible target for an anonymous terrorist or an unknown madman,’ Morton wrote.

The princess also cited previous attacks as ‘ample proof of the constant danger’.

The Princess of Wales, pictured in 1985, took extreme precautions to avoid harm according to royal biographer Andrew Morton 

According to Morton’s bestselling biography, Diana was so concerned about her wellbeing that she took a ‘dangerous’ driving course and learnt how to use a gun

Princess Diana had reason to be concerned for her safety as the Royal Family were the target of multiple attacks in the 1980s and the 1990s. Pictured: the Queen moments after a man shot blanks towards her during Trooping the Colour in 1981 

This included Ian Ball’s attempt to kidnap Princess Anne, then 23, and Michael Fagan breaking into the Queen’s bedroom as she slept in 1982.

So, according to Morton, the Princess of Wales traveled to the Special Air Services in Hereford where she learned ‘basic techniques’ about how to handle a potential terrorist attack or kidnapping plot.

This included ‘thunderflashes’ and ‘smoke bombs’ being thrown at Diana’s car by ‘enemies’ to make training as realistic as possible.

‘On another occasion she went to Lippitts Hill in Loughton, Essex, where officers from the Metropolitan Police receive weapons training.

‘There she learned how to handle a .38 calibre Smith and Wesson revolver and a Hechler and Koch machine pistol,’ Morton said. 

Both weapons were standard issue to members of the Royal Protection squad – an elite unit of the Metropolitan Police responsible for providing 24-hour security to the British royal family and other high-profile individuals.

Whilst Diana was never the target herself of a kidnapping or an assassin, the princess was constantly hounded by paparazzi – making her one of the most photographed women in history – meaning her whereabouts were easy to track for a would-be attacker.  

Diana learnt basic ‘basic techniques’ about how to handle a potential terrorist attack or kidnapping plot

Princess Anne visiting police officer Michael Hills who was shot while fighting off a man attempting to kidnap the Princess Royal

Shocking video footage from the 1981 attack during Trooping the Colour shows the Queen riding past well-wishers before the sound of gun fire erupts from the crowd spooking her horse

On top of this, the Royal Family were the target of multiple attacks in the 1980s and the 1990s. 

In 1979, Lord Mountbatten – the uncle of Prince Philip and a mentor to the then Prince Charles – was assassinated by the IRA after the terrorist group planted a bomb on his boat off the west coast of Ireland. 

Two hours before the bomb detonated, Thomas McMahon had been arrested at a Garda checkpoint on suspicion of driving a stolen vehicle.

He was tried for the assassinations in Ireland and convicted on November 23, 1979, based on forensic evidence that showed flecks of paint from the boat and traces of nitroglycerine on his clothes.

McMahon was released in 1998 under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement after serving nearly 20 years.

Two years later, in June 1981 Marcus Sarjeant fired six blank shots at Queen Elizabeth during the Trooping the Colour.

Shocking video footage from the incident shows the Queen riding past well-wishers before the sound of gun fire erupts from the crowd spooking her horse.

Sarjeant, who was just 17 at the time of the incident, fired six blank shots at the Queen. 

He was later jailed for five years under the 1842 Treason Act.

Princess Diana surrounded by the press in 1996. Whilst Diana was never the target herself of a kidnapping or an assassin, the princess was constantly hounded by paparazzi – making her one of the most photographed women in history

Daily Mail coverage of the kidnap attempt against the Princess Royal 

The funeral of Lord Mountbatten who was killed in an IRA terrorist attack in 1979

The teenager was 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 and failed to get live ammunition for his father’s handgun.

Prince Charles was then shot at with a starting pistol in 1994 during a visit to Sydney.  

The King, who was in the city to mark Australia Day, remained remarkably calm as 23-year-old David Kang, who is now a barrister, was bundled to the ground.

Looking only slightly perturbed as two shots were fired, the King was hailed as ‘His Royal Coolness’ as he dusted himself down and continued his speech at Sydney’s Tumbalong Park.

Kang later said that he carried out the stunt to highlight the plight of Cambodian asylum seekers being held in detention camps in Australia.

He was arrested before being found guilty of threatening unlawful violence and sentenced to 500 hours of community service.

Footage of the incident showed Charles reacting to the shots before Kang – dressed in a white t-shirt and jeans – marauded onto the stage horrified school children and other attendees watched on.

The then-Prince Charles moments after 23-year-old David Kang shot a starting pistol at him during Australia Day celebration in Sydney in 1994

A sketch of the attempted assassination attempt against Victoria in 1840. No monarch had to endure more attempts on their life than Queen Victoria

The King’s bodyguard, Superintendent Colin Trimming, was seen shoulder charging his boss out of the way before rushing back to the stricken gunman to assess the threat.

However no monarch had to endure more attempts on their life than Queen Victoria. Between 1840 and 1882, seven would-be assassins attempted to kill Victoria. 

In public, Victoria was praised for her stoic response to the attacks – such as on the fifth attempt when Robert Pate struck the Queen on the head with a metal-tipped cane following which Victoria calmly announced: ‘I am not hurt’. 

Privately, her personal journals reveal that the Queen – similarly to Princess Diana – feared for her safety. 

She described the incident as ‘like a horrid dream’ and was left ‘shaken, nervous and unable to eat’. 

And like Diana, Victoria also knew how to use a gun and was a target shooter who actively participated in the first Imperial Meeting organised by the British National Rifle Association in 1860, during which she hit the bull’s eye on the target.