Just two months after England won the 1966 World Cup, dispatching Argentina along the way in an ill-tempered quarter-final, Prince Philip was targeted by gunmen during an official visit to the South American country, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
It had been reported that a shooting took place outside the British Embassy in Buenos Aires during the Duke of Edinburgh’s ‘goodwill’ visit, with gunfire aimed at the building from a passing car.
But newly released Foreign Office documents confirm that the duke, then 45, had been inside the embassy when the incident took place – and that diplomats privately believed he was likely to have been the gunmen’s target to make the attack more ‘symbolic’.
His visit in late September came at a time when relations between the countries had been seriously strained by a fiery World Cup clash at Wembley, settled by a Geoff Hurst goal.
Argentine captain Antonio Rattin was sent off for persistent foul play. He refused to leave the pitch for several minutes, with Argentina threatening to walk off en masse.
After the game, England manager Alf Ramsey labelled the Argentinians ‘animals’, sparking fury back in Buenos Aires. Amid a diplomatic rift, the prince’s visit was aimed to ‘contribute outstandingly to Anglo-Argentine relations’.
UK officials at the time said the shooting was little more than an ‘impromptu demonstration’, but the files indicate it was likely part of a coordinated nationalist assault linked to Operativo Condor.
The nationalist group had that month forced a passenger aircraft to land on the British-owned Falkland Islands and demanded the raising of the Argentine flag, issuing a declaration of sovereignty.
The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, descends the stairs of an aeroplane at Heathrow Airport in 1966 after arriving back from Argentina – where gunmen shot at the British Embassy from a passing car while he was inside
His visit in late September came at a time when relations between the countries had been seriously strained by a fiery World Cup clash at Wembley, with England manager Alf Ramsey labelling the Argentinians ‘animals’ after the game
While it was known that the duke had arrived at the embassy on the day of the shooting, it was never confirmed he was inside at the time.
But newly released dispatches, marked ‘SECRET’ – written by the British ambassador in Buenos Aires and by consular officials in Rosario – stated that the presence of His Royal Highness ‘gave the events a theatrical significance’ that nationalist organisers ‘had undoubtedly intended’.
The incident involved six shots fired from a revolver ‘from a car driving rapidly past’, which struck the building and damaged the stone and woodwork.
The attack prompted British officials to re-examine the vulnerability of the Falkland Islands. The diplomatic consequences faded within weeks, and negotiations over sovereignty resumed.
