“Princess Anne has been admitted to hospital,” Buckingham Palace announced on June 24. The 73-year-old suffered minor injuries and a concussion following an incident at her property in Gloucestershire.
“She remains at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, as a precaution, for observation,” the statement said. Doctors are optimistic that she should make a full and speedy recovery.
The incident was allegedly caused by a horse. Gatcombe Park, in southwest England, is the princess’s country residence.
His engagements planned for this week were canceled on the recommendation of doctors. The princess, very popular in England, was notably due to attend the state banquet organized Tuesday at Buckingham Palace in honor of the Emperor of Japan Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako. She was also scheduled to fly to Canada at the end of the week.
King Charles III, currently being treated for cancer, but who has resumed his public engagements since mid-April, has been informed, the palace further specifies.
Known for her strong but discreet character, Princess Anne has the reputation of being the most active member of the royal family, participating in several hundred engagements per year. She recently went to France to participate in the commemorations of the Allied Landings in Normandy.
The princess is a top rider, and has even represented her country at the Olympic Games. It is on horseback that she takes part in numerous official military parades, such as last June 15 for the one marking the official birthday of the sovereign.
During this ceremony, Princess Kate, wife of Crown Prince William and suffering from cancer, made her comeback in public, after six months of absence.
Anne had two children – Peter and Zara – from her first marriage to equestrian Mark Philipps. After their divorce in 1992, she married Commander Timothy Laurence, a former equerry to Queen Elizabeth, nine months later.
