Princess Anne is being treated for a concussion after it is believed a horse kicked her within the grounds of her Gloucestershire estate on Sunday evening - but it is not the first time she has been injured in such an incident.
Buckingham Palace said Anne, the only sister of King Charles, sustained minor injuries following the incident at Gatcombe Park and is expected to make a full recovery.
She is being treated at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she was set to undergo tests, treatment and observation.
The royals are known for their love of sport, including Anne, who nearly five decades ago became the first in the family to compete in an equestrian event at the Olympics.
Anne rode the late Queen’s horse Goodwill in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal games in Canada.
Her debut did not, however, go to plan. Goodwill failed to make one of the jumps on the course and fell, bringing Anne down too.
The princess managed to remount the horse and finish the event but was left unable to remember much about the rest of the course due to a concussion.
“It was going very well and then I don’t remember anything else. Nothing at all,” she is reported to have said in an interview after the incident.
Anne continued to have a long association with the Olympic Games following her first appearance as a competitor.
She is president of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee.
Anne also competed in multiple European Three-Day Event Championships, winning a gold medal in the 1971 individual discipline and silver in both the individual and team disciplines in 1975.
In 1988 the princess was appointed a member of the International Olympic Committee.
She has consequently been an IF representative of the Eligibility Commission (1990-1994), as well as a chair of the Nominations Committee (2014-2015) and the IOC Members Election Committee (2015-current).
The royal visits the games as a member of the IOC and to support Team GB as President of the British Olympic Association.
It is understood the princess was walking within the protected perimeter of Gatcombe Park when the incident involving the horse occurred on Sunday.
The exact cause of the injuries is unconfirmed, but Anne’s medical team has said that her head injuries were consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.
Buckingham Palace said in a statement: “The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening.
“Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery.
“The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole royal family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery.”
