Princess Anne can’t remember anything

Princess Anne speaks for the first time about her health since she suffered a concussion and minor injuries in a horse riding accident at her country house.

On July 12, the 73-year-old Princess Royal resumed her royal duties and made her first public appearance since being hospitalized last month.

While attending the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA) national championships at Hartpury University and Hartpury College in Gloucestershire, Anne said she could not remember “absolutely anything” about the incident, but believed the incident was caused by an impact with a horse’s head or legs.

Helena Vega Lozano, chair of RDA UK, said that as soon as Anne got out of the car, she said: “I can’t remember anything,” the Daily Mail.

Despite her recent health setback, King Charles’ sister seemed to be in her element in equestrian sports, where she joined RDA supporters in the arena, presenting awards and meeting winners.

The three-day RDA National Championship is the largest equestrian event of its kind for disabled participants and the organisation has long been close to Princess Anne’s heart. She became Patron in November 1971 and has been its President since March 1986. She supports the organisation’s main celebrations on 12 July before gradually returning to her royal duties.

Princess Anne made the comment after she was released from hospital following a five-day hospital stay following the June 23 accident. PEOPLE confirmed that King Charles’ sister was receiving rehabilitation care at her home in Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire, following her discharge from Southmead Hospital in Bristol on June 28.

It was expected that the Queen would remain at her country house for a rest and would resume her royal duties when her medical team deemed it safe to do so. On 25 June The Telegraph reported that Anne suffered what was believed to be temporary memory loss in connection with the incident.

As Princess Anne left the hospital, her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, made a brief statement thanking the nursing team there.

“I would like to express my sincere thanks to all the team at Southmead Hospital for their care, skill and kindness during my wife’s short hospital stay,” said Sir Tim, who married Anne in 1992.

Sir Tim, 69, gave reporters a brief update on his wife’s health after visiting her in hospital on June 26. He said she was “slowly recovering” and that she would be “discharged when she is ready”.

On June 24, Buckingham Palace announced that King Charles’ sister had suffered a concussion and minor injuries in an “incident” in Gatcombe Park the previous day.

“The Princess Royal has suffered minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate last night. Her Royal Highness remains at Southmead Hospital in Bristol for observation as a precautionary measure and is expected to make a full and speedy recovery,” a statement said.

“The King has been fully informed and joins the entire Royal Family in conveying his warmest love and best wishes for a speedy recovery to the Princess,” it said.

Due to the concussion Princess Anne suffered, the exact details of the accident cannot be ascertained, but her injuries suggest possible impact from the head or legs of a horse. The Princess is a lifelong equestrian who competed for Team Great Britain at the 1976 Olympics, making history as the first member of the British royal family to compete in the Olympics. She rode in the Trooping the Colour parade on June 15 and remained calm as her horse went wild on the streets of London.

The Princess Royal, who is consistently described in the Court Circular as the “hardest working royal” in terms of the number of official engagements recorded in the Court Circular, has had to clear her diary following an injury. A palace spokesman confirmed she would not attend the banquet at Buckingham Palace given by King Charles on June 25 to honour the Japanese state visit, and her trip to Canada later this week has also been cancelled on medical advice.

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In a message from Canada’s Governor General on July 1, the resilient daughter of Queen Elizabeth made her first statement since her hospitalization. The statement came during a commemoration ceremony marking the 100th anniversary of the Newfoundland National War Memorial, which Princess Anne was scheduled to attend before her accident.

“It is with deep regret that I cannot be with you today as you commemorate the gallant efforts and sacrifices of the members of the Newfoundland Regiment who went into battle on the first day of the Somme,” Princess Anne said in a statement.

“I have fond memories of my time with you in 2016 when the people of this island commemorated the 99th Battle of Beaumont Hamel and I am deeply saddened that I cannot be with you again. I send you my warmest best wishes on this special day of remembrance,” she added.

Last year, The Telegraph Princess Anne was declared the hardest-working member of the Royal Family, having attended the most appointments (457!) listed in the Court Circular. In an extensive interview with Sky News Australia’s The Royal Report In March, Peter Phillips spoke about how much he is inspired by his parents’ drive. Princess Anne has a son, Peter, and a daughter, Zara Tindall, with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. The former couple divorced in 1992.

“Both our parents have had a huge influence on Zara and me and I think that’s largely due to their work ethic,” Peter explained earlier this year.

“They’re both incredibly hardworking and, in their 70s, still working a lot harder than they probably expected. But as my mother always said, from that perspective they had pretty good role models in the form of my grandparents, who were still working at 90,” he continued, referring to Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip. “Everyone has an enormous job to do and ultimately they all lead by example.”