30 May 1842

Assassination attempt on Queen Victoria

John Francis attempted to assassinate Queen Victoria as she travelled by carriage with Prince Albert down Constitution Hill in London… right after he had tried to shoot her just the previous day.

The Prince had spotted Francis – whom he described as “a little, swarthy, ill-looking rascal” – pulling out a pistol, which then failed to fire. Yet they still drove the same route the following day, giving Francis a second crack.

He was sentenced to death, but the Queen insisted the sentence be commuted to banishment for life.

Francis’s attempt was one of several during Victoria’s long reign. In June 1840, a man took two shots at Victoria from six yards, but she ducked in time. In May 1849, an “Irishman named Hamilton” also aimed a pistol at her – though it turned out not to be loaded.

Perhaps the strangest attempt came in July 1842, when a hunchbacked man named Bean fired at the Queen – with a pistol loaded with bits of tobacco pipe. He managed to escape, putting every hunchback across London under suspicion for two weeks until his capture.

Royal London has its roots in the community. Founded in 1861, it began with the aim of helping people avoid the stigma of a pauper’s grave.

It became a mutual life insurance company in 1908 before growing into the UK’s largest mutual life and pensions company.

Its founding principles are self-reliance, community and keeping members at the heart of all decisions.