Princess Anne hospitalized with injuries and concussion in ‘incident’

LONDON (AP) — Princess Anne was hospitalized after an accident involving a horse left her with a concussion, putting further strain on the British royal family. health problems continue to limit public appearances by King Charles III and the Princess of Wales.

The king’s 73-year-old sister was admitted to hospital as a precaution and is expected to make a full recovery after being injured on Sunday while walking at her Gatcombe Park estate in south-west England. England, Buckingham Palace announced on Monday. The cause of Anne’s injuries was unclear, but doctors said her injuries were consistent with impact with a horse’s head or legs.

“The King has been kept closely informed and joins the entire Royal Family in sending the Princess his greatest love and best wishes for a speedy recovery,” the palace said in a statement.

The accident is just the latest health scare to hit Windsor House in recent months. Charles and Kate, the wife of Prince William, is undergoing treatment for cancer. This has strained the royal family’s ability to maintain a full series of public appearances, with Anne and Queen Camille taking on more commitments as Charles and Kate took time off to focus on their health.

Anne, in particular, will be missed as she was the hardest working member of the royal family last year.

Although she doesn’t have the status of Charles or the glamor of William and Kate, Anne is known for her professional approach to a busy schedule of public appearances. Anne attended 457 royal engagements last year, compared to 425 for the king, 172 for William and 123 for Kate, according to statistics compiled by the Daily Telegraph newspaper.

Due to her injuries, Anne was forced to cancel her attendance at a state dinner honoring the Japanese emperor on Tuesday, as well as a trip to Canada planned for later in the week.

“There will certainly be some sort of void in the makeup of the royal family over the next few days,” royal expert Robert Hardman told the BBC. “But you know, obviously, she has to get well.”

Anne earned her status as a pillar of the royal family through decades of work in the awards ceremonies, ceremonial appearances and building dedications that make up the modern royal whirlwind.

As President of the British Olympic Committee and a member of the International Olympic Committee, Anne was instrumental in helping London win its bid to host the 2012 Summer Olympics and later brought her experience as an Olympic equestrian to the committee that organized the games.

Committee Chairman Sebastian Coe praised her stamina, joking at one point that she usually had three hospitals opened by the time she showed up at the average midday board meeting.

“Above all, she sees the world through the eyes of a competitor,” he said at the time.

Anne was herself a member of the British Olympic team in 1976, competing in the three-day equestrian event at the Montreal Games.

She remembers the experience fondly, even though she was thrown from her horse, Goodwill, when he got stuck in the swampy mud. Anne got back on her horse and completed the event, but later said she had almost no memory of the day.

“As far as I’m concerned, the lights went out,” she later said.

Anne has always been known for speaking her mind, even in extreme situations, such as during an attempted kidnapping in 1974. When the attacker opened her car door and asked her to come with him , Ann hesitated.

“I said I didn’t think I wanted to go,” she told an interviewer. “I was scrupulously polite. I thought, hmph, it’s stupid to be too rude at this point.

Despite this, the powerful British tabloids sometimes mock Anne’s unpretentious and pragmatic clothing choices when they notice her. She gets a lot less attention than many others.

___

See more AP coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/royalty