It is rare for Princess Anne to miss a royal event or engagement as she is famously one of the busiest working royals. However, she will be absent from this evening’s State Banquet at Buckingham Palace with the Emperor and Empress of Japan after being suddenly hospitalized with minor head injuries and concussion.
Buckingham Palace announced on Monday that Anne, 73, was in hospital in Bristol after she “sustained minor injuries and concussion following a incident on her Gatcombe Park estate.” Details of what happened are unclear, with the Telegraph reporting that the Princess had suffered memory loss over the incident. A royal source said that medics had advised that Anne’s injuries were consistent with impact from a horse’s head or legs.
Emergency services were called to the Gloucestershire estate and she was accompanied to Bristol’s Southmead Hospital by her husband Sir Timothy Laurence, 69. He was photographed arriving at the hospital today and Sky News reported that he and the Princess were expected to have lunch together.
Buckingham Palace said yesterday that Anne was expected “to make a full and swift recovery.” A source said that she was expected to return home later this week. As well as the State Banquet the Princess has had to postpone some engagements and she will not be making a planned visit to Canada. “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,” Buckingham Palace said yesterday.
Town & Country Contributing Editor Victoria Murphy has reported on the British Royal Family since 2010. She has interviewed Prince Harry and has travelled the world covering several royal tours. She is a frequent contributor to Good Morning America. Victoria authored Town & Country book The Queen: A Life in Pictures, released in 2021.
