FBI docs: Security concerns arose in Kentucky, other places during Queen Elizabeth visits

Recently-released documents reveal a 1980s plot to kill Queen Elizabeth II during a visit to the United States and show the FBI was concerned for the British monarch’s safety, including during her visits to Kentucky.

The documents, released on the FBI’s records website, The Vault, indicate that the FBI was on alert for possible threats to the queen, particularly from the Irish Republican Army. The BBC reported that the documents were released Monday in response to requests by American media under the Freedom of Information Act.

A May 13, 1989 document in preparation for a visit to Versailles by the queen later that month says the FBI had asked that “any information that would constitute a threat to Queen Elizabeth II during her visit” be sent to the FBI in Louisville.

FBI headquarters responded that they were “unaware of any specific threats against the queen,” but “the possibility of threats against the British monarchy is everpresent from the Irish Republican Army (IRA).”

Another document relating to the same visit says that “During a previous visit by the queen, several anonymous threatening telephone calls were received at (redacted) and by local police. There are no known activists or sympathizers of the Provisional Irish Republican Army operating in Louisville’s territory. Security for the queen is being provided by USSS and (redacted).”

In another instance, in May 1991, Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip planned to arrive in Washington, D.C., and spend time in Florida and Texas. A Washington Times article included with the FBI documents says Prince Philip then planned to head back across the pond while the queen intended to “travel to Kentucky to see her brood mares.”

The name of the person with whom the queen planned to stay in Kentucky has been redacted from the documents, but Queen Elizabeth often stayed with the Farish family at Lane’s End Farm in Versailles during her five visits to Kentucky over the years. Will Farish served as the U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom from 2001 to 2004.

A memo to the FBI director says the queen arrived in Lexington as planned and made no public appearances.

“Liason with United States Secret Service at Lexington revealed no matters arose under our jurisdiction,” the memo states.

Many of the 102 pages of FBI documents were previously marked “secret.”

One document indicates the FBI had received information about a possible threat by a man who allegedly said he planned to try to hurt the queen by dropping something off the Golden Gate Bridge when her yacht, the Britannia, sailed under it during a 1983 visit. The FBI said the Secret Service was planning to close the public walkways on the bridge before the yacht reached it.

The man, who said his daughter had been killed by a rubber bullet in Northern Ireland, had also allegedly claimed that he might try to kill the queen during a visit to Yosemite National Park during the same time frame, the documents state.

President Ronald Reagan and First Lady Nancy Reagan were going to be in San Francisco at the same time as the queen and Duke of Edinburgh, and the documents indicate the FBI also was preparing for demonstrations by two different groups.

“Because of the wide variety of interests of the groups involved in the protests against both the visit of the queen and the president, it will be very hard to anticipate and prevent incidents which may embarrass either the queen or the president,” the documents state. “...Hopefully a more prudent, non-violent, traditional protest mentality will prevail.”

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