Princess Anne’s Daughter Left ‘Distressed’ & ‘Shaken’ After Her Mother Suffers Memory Loss From Horseriding Incident

Jul 11, 2024

Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip welcomed their second child and only daughter, Princess Anne, on Aug. 15, 1950. At the time of her birth, she was third in line to the throne behind her older brother, now King Charles III, but she's now 17th in line after her youngest brother Prince Edward’s children — James, Earl of Wessex and Lady Louise Windsor.

Anne first married Captain Mark Phillips in 1973 and was the first out of her three siblings to tie the knot. According to Tatler, the two met in Mexico City while attending an event for horse riding enthusiasts. Although they were rarely spotted out together, the strain of their relationship was highly publicized with reports of the both of them having affairs with others (Princess Anne dated her brother’s now-wife Queen Camilla’s ex-husband, Andrew Parker-Bowles). Eventually, they divorced and it was finalized in April 1992. The princess and Phillips share two children together: Peter Phillips and Zara Tindall (née Phillips), who are 18th and 21st in line to the throne, respectively.

Following the breakup of her first marriage, Princess Anne was lucky to find love a second time when she married Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence at Crathie Kirk in Scotland, on Dec. 12, 1992. They remain married to this day and do not have biological children together.

Like many royal family members, including her late mother, Anne has nurtured a love for horses and riding since a young age. However, horse riding is not without its risks. Recently, the Princess Royal is said to have suffered injuries consistent with a possible impact from a horse, leaving her daughter, Tindall, “understandably shaken.” Keep reading to learn more about Princess Anne’s condition.

Princess Anne is famous for loving horses and riding them. She was even crowned European Eventing Champion in 1971. According to her trainer Alison Oliver, Anne’s love for horses stemmed from the fact that she was not treated any differently just because she was a princess. She told the 2002 Channel 4 documentary “The Real Princess Anne” that Anne liked the fact horses responded to her like any other rider. Oliver said:

“The horses didn’t treat her any differently than it would anybody else and reacted to her as a rider and as a person, not as a princess.”

She added:

“Her ambition just grew and grew and she wanted to do well — well, I mean it was not enough just to do it well, she had to really win.”

According to the documentary, Anne’s love for horses was “close to an obsession” as it had been for her mother. She also rode a horse named Goodwill during the XXI Olympic Summer Games in July 1976 at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in Bromont, Québec, Canada.

Anne also breeds horses and has even taught her grandchildren to ride. She once told Vanity Fair:

“I thought if I was going to do anything outside of the royal family, horses was likely to be the best way of doing it. But then you have to find the right horse at the right time. The original horse I rode was bred as a polo pony and should never have been an event horse, but it worked, so that was very satisfying. But I always knew it was going to be limited time.”

Anne’s love for horses continues to this day. However, she suffered injuries during a recent incident that may have been caused by her own lifelong hobby. 

On June 24, 2024, Buckingham Palace reported that Anne had sustained minor injuries and a concussion after an “incident” and had been subsequently hospitalized. It said the Princess Royal suffered minor injuries to the head that resulted in a concussion as she was walking near horses in her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, western England. While the exact nature of her injuries and how she sustained them were not specified, a medical team stated the injuries were consistent with the result of a possible impact from a horse’s head or legs. The report added that, after receiving first aid at the scene, Anne was then taken to Bristol’s Southmead Hospital for further treatment.

“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 Palace’s statement read.

It added that her brother, 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.”

Meanwhile, an insider revealed that Anne was recovering well in the hospital and that, upon her medical team's advice, all her engagements in the near future had been postponed. Anne was due to attend a state banquet for the Japanese state visit on June 25, which she will miss. Anne was also set to fly to Canada for a trip at the end of the month. The trip has been postponed.

Princess Anne was released from the hospital on June 28, 2024, after which her husband released a statement that read:

“I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the team at Southmead Hospital for their care, expertise and kindness during my wife’s short stay.”

Anne also shared a heartfelt message to the public a few days later. Anne had been due to attend the Commemoration of Centennial of the Newfoundland National War Memorial in Canada on July 1, 2024, but her appearance was canceled due to her accident. However, the Canadian Governor General read a prepared statement from Anne that read:

“It is with deep regret that I am unable to be with you today, as you commemorate the brave efforts and sacrifices of the members of the Newfoundland Regiment who went into battle on the first day of the Somme. I have fond memories of joining you in 2016, on the 99th occasion that the people of this Island commemorated the Battle of Beaumont Hamel, and I am deeply saddened that I’m unable to join you again, and I send you my warmest best wishes on this special day of commemoration.”

According to People magazine, Anne will likely resume attending public events only after receiving approval from her medical team. 

Anne is often cited as one of the hardest-working senior royals. According to The Telegraph, she attended 457 events in 2023, the most of any royal family member. Queen Elizabeth II’s former press spokesman Dickie Arbiter praised Anne’s work ethic, saying she “just gets on with it, often carrying out multiple engagements in one day.”

In 2024, the British royal family has been rocked with several challenges. Perhaps the biggest ones were King Charles and Kate Middleton’s cancer diagnoses. Since the two were diagnosed and underwent treatment, Prince William, Queen Camilla and Princess Anne have stepped up as senior working royals. 

Speaking to Fox News Digital, royal author Christian Andersen pointed out that Princess Anne was the “hardest working royal” as she reportedly racked up 457 engagements in 2023. He noted that Anne has “always been fondly thought of as inexhaustible — even invincible.”

Aside from the traumatic injuries that Princess Anne recently suffered, The Telegraph also revealed she is suffering from temporary memory loss. Fortunately, the memory loss was said to relate only to the incident and was thought to likely be temporary. 

Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, Princess Anne’s husband, provided an update, as quoted by The Guardian:

“She is recovering well, thank you. We are both profoundly grateful to the medical team and hospital support staff for their expert care — and to the emergency services who were all so wonderful at the scene. We are both deeply touched by all the kind messages we have received from so many people near and far. It means a great deal.”

According to the publication, the details of Princess Anne’s accident remain unclear. Apparently, there were said to be horses near the accident area within the protected perimeter of her estate, but a specific cause has yet to be disclosed to the public. 

Princess Anne was last seen publicly at Trooping the Colour on June 15, 2024. There, she was seen masterfully handling her horse when it got a little excited during the military parade in London. A viral video on X, formerly Twitter, shows the Olympian equestrian taking charge of her horse.

However, Anne's recent incident rocked the royal family, specifically Anne’s daughter, Tindall. A source told OK Magazine that Princess Anne’s injury left Tindall “shaken to the core.” 

“She’s desperately hoping this memory (loss) is temporary. This has been a huge wake-up call for everyone in the family, and they’re rightfully distressed,” the source added. 

Royal expert Anderson justified Tindall’s reaction to her mother’s accident. 

"For the last several years, Zara Tindall has been worried that the palace has been relying too heavily on her septuagenarian mother," Anderson told Fox News Digital. "When Zara saw her mother lying in a hospital bed suffering from a severe concussion and memory loss, she was understandably shaken. With both King Charles and Princess Kate battling cancer at the same time, it’s hard to escape the feeling that the royal family is falling apart physically."

Anderson argued that Anne’s injury “underscores” the perception of how crucial the Princess Royal is to the British royal family. 

“This means that more and more responsibility will fall on Prince William’s shoulders and Queen Camilla’s. Keep in mind that the queen turns 77 next week, and King Charles is justifiably concerned about the toll all this stress is taking on her health as well,” Anderson furthered. "Only so many shoes can drop before the institution of the monarchy itself begins to look awfully shaky.”

Anderson’s statements came after Gert’s Royals reported that the Royal Family Registry removed Princess Anne’s engagements from the week of July 8, 2024, onwards. They noted that the princess’ next engagement would be on July 15 and 16, 2024, when she will be visiting the Lighthouse tender ship NLV Pharos in Scotland.

Are you a fan of Princess Anne? What can you say about her accident? Do you think she will make a full recovery? Let us know, and pass this on to your family, friends and other loved ones out there!