Anne speaks about horse accident that left her concussed for first time

The Princess Royal has spoken for the first time about the suspected horse accident that left her concussed and bruised suggesting she had a lucky escape from serious injury.

Anne’s brush with an emergency last June appears to have taught her a valuable life lesson – that “every day is a bonus”.

The King’s sister revealed she was on the way to see chickens on her Gatcombe Park estate when the accident happened but has no memory of what followed, thought to involve the princess being struck by a horse.

Interviewed by the PA news agency after a whirlwind two-day tour of Cape Town that ended on Wednesday, the King’s sister was asked about her future and whether retirement was an option and replied: “It really isn’t written in, no. It isn’t really an option, no, I don’t think so.

“You’re jolly lucky… if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis and last summer I was very close to not being.

“Take each day as it comes, they say.”

Asked if she remembered anything about the accident she said: “No, nothing.”

When questioned whether the last thing she recalled was walking into a field, Anne said: “No, don’t even remember that.

“I know where I thought I was going and that was to go to the chickens, no, nothing to do with horses.”

She added that seeing the chickens was “my regular visit, I don’t have any idea what I was doing in the field, because I never normally went that way.

“It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something (happens) and you might not recover.”

After the accident an air ambulance and emergency services were dispatched to her Gloucestershire estate and, following medical care at the scene, the princess was transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by road for tests, treatment and observation.

The princess spent five nights in hospital after the accident on June 23 and did not return to public royal duties until almost three weeks later.

Asked about any lasting ill effects, she lightened the mood and joked: “Apparently not, at least I don’t think so. As far as I know nobody else thinks so – they haven’t been honest enough to tell me yet. So far so good.

“You are sharply reminded that every day is a bonus really.”

Anne was due to visit South Africa with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence but he missed the trip after suffering a suspected torn ligament from an injury he suffered while working on the Gatcombe estate.

Published: 24/01/2025 by Radio NewsHub