Princess Anne revealed that she has no memory of the accident that resulted in her hospitalization last summer.
“I remember where I intended to go, and that was to check on the chickens—definitely nothing to do with the horses,” Anne told during her visit to South Africa in an interview published on Friday, January 24.
The 74-year-old Princess Royal spent five nights at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, England, after suffering “minor injuries and concussion following an incident” at her Gatcombe Park estate, according to a statement from Buckingham Palace on June 24, 2024.
At the time, Anne’s medical team suggested her injuries may have been caused by an impact from a horse’s legs or head. However, the royal herself has no recollection of being near her horses before the incident.
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“[It was] just my usual visit,” she explained. “I have no idea why I was in that part of the field because that wasn’t my usual route.”
Reflecting on the incident, Anne remarked, “It just goes to show—you never quite know what might happen, and you may not recover.”

Princess Anne (Photo: Getty Images)
The experience served as a reminder for her to “take each day as it comes.”
At the time of her hospitalization, Buckingham Palace stated that her stay was a “precautionary measure for observation” and reassured the public that she was “expected to make a full and swift recovery.”
Anne’s accident occurred amid a challenging year for the royal family, as her brother, King Charles III, and Princess Kate Middleton were both dealing with cancer diagnoses.
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Middleton later announced in January that she is in remission, while Charles is expected to resume a full schedule of public engagements this year.
Anne has long been regarded as the “hardest-working royal” by the British press. In 2024, she carried out 217 engagements—the highest of any royal—according to the Daily Mail. King Charles followed in second place with 186 engagements, per the outlet.
When asked if she had any plans to retire, Anne told that such an option wasn’t on the table.
“I don’t think there’s a retirement plan for this particular role,” she stated. “It’s simply not written in. No, I don’t think so.”
