Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s daughter, had expressed anxiety about her mother’s demanding schedule before the royal was incapacitated by a recent horse-related accident. On June 24, the palace stated that Princess Anne, 73, had suffered minor bruises and a concussion during an incident at the Gatcombe Park estate in southwest England. Her medical team determined that her head injuries were caused by an impact from a horse’s head or legs.
This incident caused Anne to experience momentary memory loss. “For the last several years, Zara Tindall has been worried that the palace has been relying too heavily on her septuagenarian mother,” Christopher Andersen, author of “The King,” told Fox News.
“She has a point,” Andersen explained. “Princess Anne is often regarded as the hardest-working royal, with 457 engagements last year alone. She has always been thought of as limitless — even invincible. Zara was naturally shocked when she found her mother in a hospital bed with a severe concussion and memory loss.
Andersen underlined the royal family’s present struggles, noting: “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 physically falling apart.” Princess Anne’s injury simply reinforces this impression.” “This means that Prince William and Queen Camilla will take on an increasing amount of responsibilities.
Keep in mind that the queen turns 77 next week, and King Charles is understandably anxious about the impact all of this stress is having on her health,” he continued. “Only so many shoes can drop before the institution of the monarchy itself begins to look awfully shaky,” Andersen declared.
Following Anne’s accident, changes were made to The Royal Diary part of the royal family’s website, which chronicles official engagements. “The diary on @RoyalFamily website has been updated to remove Princess Anne’s engagement next week, as she is still recovering from her accident last month,” according to Gert’s Royals.
Anne’s next scheduled expedition is on July 15 and 16, when she will visit the NLV Pharos ship off the west coast of Scotland as Patron of the Northern Lighthouse Board, according to People magazine. A source earlier told OK! magazine that Anne’s injuries had left her daughter “shaken to the core,” adding, “She’s desperately hoping this memory [loss] is only temporary.” This has been a significant wake-up call for everyone in the family. They’re rightfully distressed.
Princess Anne was released from the hospital on June 28 and is expected to fully recover, while details concerning her return to royal duties are unknown. “Princess Anne is quite stalwart and will be resolute in returning to work as soon as possible, while also taking the advice of her medical team,” royal expert Ian Pelham Turner told Fox News. “It has undoubtedly posed problems for the royal family, as Anne has an impressive track record of attending numerous events each year. It’s simply another headache for King Charles as he tries to build his own version of a slimmed-down monarchy while still covering all of the annual events.”
Anne’s husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, sent an update, saying, “She is healing well, thank you. We are both deeply thankful to the medical team and hospital support personnel for their superb care, as well as the emergency services who were all so kind on the scene.” He went on to say, “We are both very moved by the lovely sentiments we have received from so many people near and far. It means a lot.
Anne’s accident is the royal family’s latest health crisis, following King Charles’ and Kate Middleton’s cancer treatment. This has put a burden on the family’s capacity to continue their public obligations, with Anne and Queen Camilla stepping in to cover additional occasions. Due to her injuries, Anne was forced to cancel her attendance at a royal dinner honouring Japan’s emperor. Despite her injury, Anne is still a renowned equestrian.
On June 15, she was seen riding beside William and Prince Edward during Trooping the Colour. A viral video on X showed her effectively taming her horse when it became nervous during the military parade in London.
The royal procession includes the Prince of Wales, the Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Royal on horseback. Princess Anne appeared to be preoccupied while riding a buzzy horse.#TroopingTheColor pic.twitter.com/BkPI0mchml. — Royal Central (@RoyalCentral), June 15, 2024.
