There was a threat to kill Queen Elizabeth during 1983 trip to the US, FBI documents reveal

Queen Elizabeth's 1983 trip to the United States seemed to go off without a hitch and included a highly publicized visit to then-President Ronald Reagan. But newly released FBI records unveil an assassination threat made against the monarch before her trip.

Obtained by TODAY.com, the online records outline the itinerary of the 10-day trip and detail the extent of the threat. According to The New York Times, the documents were released following a request under the Freedom of Information Act.

Per FBI records, a San Francisco police department caught wind of the assassination threat in February 1983, just weeks before the monarch was set to travel to the U.S. with her husband, Prince Philip, for a 10-day trip.

The royal visit, which included a stop in California, took place during a 30-year geopolitical conflict in Northern Ireland known as the Troubles.

Per the records, an unnamed police officer reported receiving a phone call from a man who said his daughter was killed by a rubber bullet in Northern Ireland.

The same man detailed his plans to hurt the queen and outlined two potential methods: dropping something off the Golden Gate Bridge onto her royal yacht as it passed by or trying to kill her as she visited Yosemite National Park.

The documents don’t mention names or clarify if anyone was arrested. However, they do note that the Secret Service planned to close the Golden Gate Bridge’s walkways as the queen’s yacht approached.

The records also mention that the police officer who shared the threat regularly attended the Dovre Club, which was a popular spot for those who supported the Provisional Irish Republican Army (PIRA).

In the end, the assassination attempt was not carried out.

The late monarch, who died in September 2022 at the age of 96, met with Reagan during her trip and famously made the president laugh when she toasted him at a celebratory dinner.

“I knew before we came that we had exported many of our traditions to the United States. But I had not realized before that weather was one of them,” she said in part.

“But, Mr. President, if the climate has been cool, you're welcome and that of the American people have been wonderfully warm,” she added.

This article was originally published on TODAY.com