London: Princess Anne, the 73-year-old sister of King Charles III, has sustained minor injuries and a concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate on Sunday. She has been hospitalised as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full recovery.
“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," the palace said in a statement on Monday, without revealing more details. The incident happened in her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
The cause of the injury is unconfirmed, but it's understood to be consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs, according to BBC. The Princess Royal had been expected to begin a visit to Canada at the end of this week. As per Canadian media reports, Annie was due to take part in a ceremony at a war memorial in Newfoundland.
The princess was walking within the protected perimeter of the estate when the incident occurred, Britain’s Press Association said. Emergency service were called to the estate and she was treated at the scene before being transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol. Her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence, accompanied her.
Anne is one of the hardest working members of the royal family, having stepped in and taken more duties in light of Charles’ cancer diagnosis. Her engagements for the days ahead will be postponed and she will not attend the state dinner being held in the honor of the emperor of Japan.
She was recently seen at the commemorations marking the 80th anniversary of the D-Day event in World War II, where she met veterans and families at the Bayeux War Cemetery in France. She has enjoyed consistently high approval ratings in opinion polls due to her hard work combined with a no-nonsense approach. She is also known for her love for horses and her achievements in equestrian sports.
Anne was the first member of the Royal Family to compete in the Olympics, in the games in Montreal in 1976. She is the second child of Elizabeth II and Prince Philip and was third in line to the throne when she was born in 1950. She has been married twice - with Captain Mark Philips, with whom she has two children, and Laurence.
(with inputs from AP)
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