Princess Anne is in hospital after suffering minor injuries to her head and a concussion after it is believed she was kicked by a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate.
The Princess Royal, 73, who competed in equestrian events at the 1972 Olympics, was walking on her Gloucestershire estate on Sunday evening when the incident happened.
Emergency services were despatched to the estate and, after medical care at the scene, the princess was transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for appropriate tests, treatment and observation accompanied by her husband, vice admiral Timothy Laurence.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening.
“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 King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole royal family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery.”
It is understood the princess was walking within the protected perimeter of Gatcombe Park when the incident occurred.
The exact cause of the injuries is unconfirmed, but Anne’s medical team have said that her head injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.
Anne will now miss several engagements this week, including the state banquet for the Japanese state visit on Tuesday and a trip to Canada.
A palace spokesman said: “On doctors’ advice, Her Royal Highness’s engagements for the week ahead will be postponed. Her Royal Highness sends her apologies to any who may be inconvenienced or disappointed as a result.
“The Japanese state visit will go ahead as planned, though sadly Her Royal Highness will be unable to attend the state banquet tomorrow.”
Princess Anne is famed for her love of horses and was the first member of the Royal Family to ever participate at an Olympic Games, in Montreal in 1976, taking part in the three-day equestrian event. She suffered a concussion after her mount, Goodwill, failed to take a jump.
The princess was further praised for her riding skills earlier this month when her horse was spooked at Trooping the Colour.
She was able to get the jittery horse back under control without disrupting the parade.
The Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal are taking part in the royal procession on horseback.
— Royal Central (@RoyalCentral) June 15, 2024
Princess Anne appears to have her hands full on board a buzzy horse.#TroopingTheColour pic.twitter.com/BkPI0mchml
The Princess Royal was riding beside Prince William and Prince Edward at the time of the incident and Edward can be seen in footage turning around after realising there was a problem with her horse, Noble.
Her daughter, Zara Tindall, who won a team silver medal for Great Britain at the London 2012 Olympics, said the princess remained a keen equestrian decades after her showjumping heyday in the Seventies.
“Our horses are in our family, so there’s always discussions about performances and things like that,” she told People last year.
“There’s horses in her life, and she does a bit of breeding as well. So there’s always horse conversation going on.”
