Princess Anne expresses gratitude to medical staff who treated her following horse-related accident
After she is believed to have have been struck by a horse’s head or legs in an accident last year, Princess Anne has expressed her gratitude to the medical staff who gave her treatment.
Princess Anne has expressed her gratitude to the medical staff who treated her following her horse-related accident.
The 74-year-old royal was last year injured on her Gatcombe Park estate, Gloucestershire, while on her way to see her chickens and it is believed she was struck by a horse’s head or legs – with emergency services, including an air ambulance, dispatched to the estate, and she was taken by road 30 miles to Southmead Hospital for treatment.
Visiting the facility in Bristol, where she was treated in June 2024, she acknowledged the work of NHS staff, telling medical crews: “Sadly, I don’t have huge memories of being in here either. I just know I was really well looked after so thank you.”
She added: “But whatever you did, it seemed to work… the recovery being relatively straightforward, thankfully. That isn’t always true so I’m really grateful. I’m also grateful in a weird sort of way that I remember nothing because that has huge advantages – you can just carry on.”
The princess suffered concussion and minor head injuries and spent five nights in hospital before returning home for further rehabilitation. She resumed public duties three weeks later.
Anne also appeared to joke about her horses during her hospital visit, saying: “I know if there was a perpetrator who managed to do that much damage, they’re not letting on either, so relationships remain absolutely secure. No one has gone absent as a result of this.”
Buckingham Palace had confirmed at the time of her accident Anne remained in hospital “as a precautionary measure for observation”.
During a recent tour of South Africa, the princess reflected on the incident, stating: “It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something (happens) and you might not recover.”
On her visit to Southmead, most of which was private, Anne walked through the hospital’s critical care corridor, meeting staff as machines beeped in the background.
She remarked to staff: “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.”
When asked if she intended to retire, she replied: “It isn’t really an option, no.”
