Princess Anne after her accident: She sees every day as a gift

Seven months after the mysterious accident at her Gatcombe Park estate, Princess Anne (74) spoke in detail for the first time about the dramatic events. Like the sister of King Charles III. (76) explained during a trip to South Africa that she still has memory lapses from the day that landed her in the hospital for five days. “No, nothing,” she explained when asked if she now had any memories of the incident.

“All I remember is that I wanted to go to the chickens,” Princess Anne explained. Visiting the animals was their “regular routine”. “I have no idea what I was doing on the field because I never normally go that route.” In June 2024, Anne was admitted to Southmead Hospital in Bristol with injuries and a concussion. The doctors suspected either a horse kicked the princess in the head or a fall in which she fell on her head. However, the exact process has not yet been finally clarified.

The accident had a lasting impact on the 74-year-old. “You are painfully reminded that every day is a gift,” said the Princess. “You never know what will happen and whether you will recover.” She was “damn lucky” that she remained mentally intact. “Last summer I came very close to not being one.” When asked about possible long-term consequences, she joked: “Apparently not – at least I don’t think so. As far as I know, no one else thinks that way – they just haven’t been honest enough to tell me yet.”

Despite the incident, King Charles’ sister is not thinking about retirement. “I don’t think there’s a retirement program for this particular life,” she said. The Princess traveled to South Africa for a two-day trip – without her husband Sir Timothy Laurence (69), who had to stay at home due to his own injury.

Just a few weeks after the accident, Princess Anne announced that she no longer remembered the actual accident. However, she did not provide any more details at the time.