Princess Anne Hospitalized with Concussion Following an ‘Incident’ at Her Country Home

Princess Anne is hospitalized after an “incident” at her country home in England.

Buckingham Palace said in a statement released on June 24, “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 statement continued that her brother King Charles 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.”

Princess Anne, 73, sustained minor wounds to the head during a walk at Gatbombe Park. Emergency services arrived at the scene, where she was treated and transferred to the hospital. Her husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, and her children, Zara Tindall and Peter Phillips, were on the estate when the incident occurred, and her husband accompanied her to the hospital.

Although the exact cause of her injuries was not disclosed, her injuries are consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.

Princess Anne is a skilled horsewoman, having competed in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

She also rode horseback during Trooping the Colour on June 15 to celebrate King Charles’ official birthday, expertly navigating when her horse got rambunctious during the parade through London.

The hospitalization means Princess Anne will miss planned royal engagements this week, including the state visit of Japan’s emperor and empress to the U.K., which is slated to officially kick off on June 25.

“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,” a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said.

“The Japanese state visit will go ahead as planned, though sadly Her Royal Highness will be unable to attend the state banquet tomorrow,” the spokesperson added.

In addition to the state visit, Princess Anne planned to visit Canada this week but will not be able to fly, per medical advice.

The palace spokesperson added that Queen Elizabeth’s only daughter “is recovering well, is in a comfortable condition and is being kept in hospital as a precautionary measure for further observation.” It’s expected that Princess Anne will be able to return home this week.

Following the announcement on June 24, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak shared his well wishes to Princess Anne on X.

“Everyone in the country is immensely fond of Her Royal Highness,” he wrote. “We’re all sending her our best wishes for a swift recovery.”

Princess Anne, who often earns the title of hardest-working royal thanks to per packed schedule of engagements and outings on behalf of the monarchy, has made many recent outings with the royal family, including multiple appearances at the Royal Ascot horse races last week.