Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles III, was hospitalized on Monday with minor injuries and a concussion following a horse-related incident.
The mishap occurred late Sunday at Anne’s country home, Gatcombe Park in southwest England, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace. This incident follows a series of health issues within the British royal family this year, including cancer diagnoses for both King Charles and his daughter-in-law, Catherine, Princess of Wales.
“Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery,” the palace statement said. “The King has been kept closely informed and joins the entire royal family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the Princess for a speedy recovery.”
The 73-year-old royal, an avid equestrian who competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, will stay at the hospital until her medical team advises otherwise. While the palace did not provide specifics about the incident, medical sources suggested her injuries were consistent with an impact from a horse’s head or legs.
Anne’s husband, Tim Laurence, was at Gatcombe Park when the accident happened and accompanied her to the hospital. Her children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, were also present on the estate.
Gatcombe Park is well-known for hosting the annual Festival of British Eventing, which attracts top equestrian talent from around the world.
Since Queen Elizabeth II’s passing in September 2022 and the departure of Prince Harry and Meghan to the United States, Princess Anne has become one of the few remaining active royals. She has taken on additional engagements as King Charles and Catherine undergo treatment. Recently, she attended events marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day landings in northern France.
However, Buckingham Palace announced that Princess Anne’s schedule for the upcoming week would be postponed. This includes her planned attendance at Tuesday’s state banquet for the Emperor and Empress of Japan and a scheduled visit to Canada.
King Charles has partially resumed his public duties and will host the Japanese royals during their state visit starting Tuesday. Earlier this month, Catherine made a tentative return to public life, participating in a military parade in London for the King’s official birthday. All eyes will be on the state banquet to see if she attends.
