Princess Anne Makes Emotional Stop at Hospital Where She Was Treated After Horse Accident to Thank Staff
Princess Anne made a special visit to the hospital where she was treated after a horse-related accident to thank the staff who looked after her.
On Feb. 6, the Princess Royal, 74, returned to Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England, where she spent five days in June 2024 due to an injury. Buckingham Palace announced on June 24 that King Charles' sister "sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate," her country home, the day prior, and was hospitalized at Southmead "as a precautionary measure for observation." The palace said at the time that Princess Anne was "expected to make a full and swift recovery," and she was discharged following a five-day stay.
During her return, Princess Anne toured the hospital, including the Intensive Care Unit, to learn more about the work of the care team there as well as meet doctors and nurses. She heard the staff choir perform in the main public atrium and viewed the helicopter pad used by the Air Ambulance (a job Prince William once had in East Anglia) as well as the staff garden.
Related: Princess Anne Continues Streak as Hardest Working Member of the Royal Family, Even After Her Concussion and Hospitalization
Southmead Hospital is about an hour drive from Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne's private home where the accident happened. The hub is esteemed as the regional specialist intensive care unit for major trauma, neurosciences, hyperacute stroke unit, renal medicine, vascular surgery, urology, plastic surgery, burns and infectious diseases, a palace statement said.
The Princess Royal is regularly cited as the "hardest-working" member of the royal family by the count of official engagements recorded in the Court Circular and sparked concern when she got hurt last summer. Because of the concussion that she sustained in June, the exact details of the "incident" are unable to be ascertained. However, her injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse's head or legs. The King's sister is a dedicated equestrian who became the first British royal to take her talents to the Olympics in 1976 and continues to ride today.
Related: Princess Anne Expertly Handles Rambunctious Horse During Trooping the Colour Parade
Immediately after the accident, The Telegraph reported that Anne was suffering memory loss, thought to be temporary, related to what happened. She returned to work in July in a gradual resumption of royal duties, and the Daily Mail reported that Princess Anne said then, "I can't remember a single thing" about the accident.
During a solo trip to South Africa in January, Anne said again that she had no memory of the incident.
"I know where I thought I was going and that was to go to the chickens — no, nothing to do with horses," Princess Anne told PA, the BBC reported.
The princess said that seeing the chickens was "my regular visit, I don't have any idea what I was doing in the field, because I never normally went that way."
"It just reminds you, shows you — you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover," the royal reflected.
"You are sharply reminded that every day is a bonus really," she mentioned elsewhere in the interview.
Can't get enough of PEOPLE's Royals coverage? to get the latest updates on Kate Middleton, Meghan Markle and more!
Princess Anne's visit to the hospital where she was previously treated followed a similar stop by Kate Middleton in January.
On Jan. 14, the Princess of Wales made an emotional visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital in London, which came with the confirmation that she previously received treatment there during her cancer journey.
Princess Kate, 43, was outside of the public eye for most of 2024 after sharing last March that she was undergoing treatment for cancer. She said in September that she completed chemotherapy and relayed on Jan. 14 that she is in "remission."
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