London, Jan 5 (IANS): Queen Elizabeth II was once nearly shot by a former guardsman when she went for a late night walk in the palace grounds, reported a newspaper here.
An unnamed soldier revealed how he nearly pulled the trigger when he spotted an unknown figure in the dark at Buckingham Palace at 3am on an unspecified day several years ago, said a report in the Times daily on Wednesday.
The daily's diary column reported: Thinking that he had come across an intruder, he shouted: "Who's that?"
"To his surprise it was the Queen," according to the account.
"‘Bloody hell, Your Majesty, I nearly shot you", he said.
Realising his remarks were inappropriate, the guard expected to be rebuked.
The Queen, who apparently likes to go for a stroll when she cannot sleep, was said to have replied: "That's quite all right. Next time I'll ring through beforehand so you don't have to shoot me."
Buckingham Palace declined to comment.