LONDON and NEW YORK — Britain’s Princess Anne has been hospitalized following an “incident” at Gatcombe Park on Sunday evening, Buckingham Palace said on Monday.
The princess on Monday was being treated in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, “as a precautionary measure,” the palace said. She is “expected to make a full and swift recovery,” the statement added.
“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.
Princess Anne, Princess Royal attends day 2 of the 2024 Royal Windsor Horse Show in Home Park, Windsor Castle on May 2, 2024 in Windsor, England.
Max Mumby/indigo/Getty Images, FILE
It’s not clear precisely how the “incident” occurred, but the princess sustained injuries to her head while out walking on her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. There were horses nearby, and the medical team who examined her said that her head injuries are consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.
The British royal family has been preparing for an official state visit by Japan’s Emperor Naruhito and his wife Empress Masako, who arrived in the United Kingdom on Saturday. The state visit is set to begin Tuesday but a Palace spokesperson said Princess Anne “will be unable to attend the State banquet tomorrow” and added that her remaining engagements for the week have been postponed.
The princess is the only daughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II and the late Prince Philip and the sole sister of King Charles III. The princess is 73 years old, two years younger than Charles.
Anne has been a working member of the royal family since 1969, when she started public engagements at the age of 18, according to her official biography. She is married to Sir Timothy Laurence and shares two children with Captain Mark Phillips — Peter Phillips and Zara Phillips Tindall.