British Princess Anne in hospital with head injury after suspected horse accident

Princess Anne, the younger sister of King Charles, is in hospital after suffering a head injury on Sunday, Buckingham Palace said. The queen is expected to make a full recovery from the incident, which is believed to have involved a horse.

The palace said on Monday that the 73-year-old, only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth, suffered minor injuries and a concussion in the incident and is now recovering at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, western England.

“Her Royal Highness is recovering well, is in a comfortable condition and will be kept in hospital for further observation as a precautionary measure,” a Buckingham Palace spokesman said.

A royal source said the princess was walking in the grounds of Gatcombe Park, where her home is located, when she suffered minor injuries to her head.

The source said there were horses nearby and their medical team said the head injuries indicated an impact with a horse’s head or legs.

Her husband, Tim Laurence, accompanied Anne to the hospital and their two children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, were also at the property at the time.

“The King has been fully informed and joins the entire Royal Family in sending the Princess his deepest love and best wishes for a speedy recovery,” Buckingham Palace said in a statement.

The princess is expected to return home this week, but her upcoming appointments have been postponed and Anne will not fly to Canada as planned at the end of the week, the source said.

However, the official state visit of Japanese Emperor Naruhito and his wife, who will be received by King Charles, will take place as planned on Tuesday.

Latest royal setback

Anne’s hospitalization is the latest health setback for the British royal family this year.

The royal returned to public appearances in April as he undergoes cancer treatment, while Kate, Princess of Wales and wife of heir to the throne Prince William, receives preventative chemotherapy. Earlier this month, she was only well enough to make her first public appearance of the year.

Surveys repeatedly show that Anne is one of the most popular members of the royal family and is also considered the hardest-working.

“Everyone in the country holds Her Royal Highness in high esteem,” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said on X. “We all send her our best wishes for a speedy recovery.”

Like her late mother, Anne’s love of horses is well documented. She won a gold medal at the 1971 European Eventing Championships and competed as a member of the British equestrian team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, where she became the first royal Olympian to compete.

During the competition, she suffered a serious fall but was able to get back on her horse to complete the course. She later said that she could not remember anything because of the concussion she suffered.

“I felt very good. I can’t remember anything else,” she said afterwards.

“Her mantra for life is: If you fall, get up and try again,” said daughter Zara in a television documentary to mark her mother’s 70th birthday.