Queen Elizabeth II was ''nearly shot'' by palace guard

London: 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 3 am 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.