Princess Anne, 73, leaves hospital to continue recuperation at Gatcombe home

Princess Anne has been discharged from hospital after she "sustained minor injuries and concussion" from an incident involving a horse over the weekend.

Buckingham Palace shared the news that the Princess Royal, 73, has returned to her home estate Gatcombe Park after spending five days at Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

Upon Anne leaving the hospital, her husband, Vice Admiral Tim Laurence said in a statement: "‘I would like to extend my warmest thanks to all the team at Southmead Hospital for their care, expertise and kindness during my wife’s short stay."

Princess Anne was hospitalised on Sunday after she suffered a concussion and minor head injuries following a horse-related incident on her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire that same day.

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Over the past week, the Princess Royal was visited by her husband Sir Tim and her daughter and fellow equestrian, Zara Tindall.

What happened to Princess Anne

HELLO! understands that Anne was out walking within her estate when the incident occurred, resulting in the Princess Royal sustaining minor wounds to the head.

While the exact cause of her injuries has not been confirmed, it's understood that her medical team say that her head injuries are consistent with a potential impact from a horse's head or legs.

Princess Anne's affection for horse riding

The royal is an accomplished horsewoman who was the first British royal to compete at the Olympics, participating in the 1976 Games in Montreal.

Her daughter Zara – who has previously rode for Great Britain - spoke about the family’s obsession with horses in an interview in 2023. "Our horses are in our family," she told People. "There's always discussions about performances and things like that," adding: "There's horses in her life and she does a bit of breeding as well."

The late Queen Elizabeth II's love of horses transferred to both her daughter and granddaughter, with Zara telling People: "I think just the passion and love for horses that's been passed down through our family. We're very lucky to have them in our lives.

"Being able to do it every day is incredible and it's such an amazing sport. Any equestrian sport, that partnership between the horse and rider, or an owner and the horse is, it's incredible. We're very lucky to work with horses."

The Princess Royal's past injuries

Over the years, she has suffered injuries and falls while competing. As a 14-year-old, she cracked a bone in the little finger of her right hand after she had caught it in the rein of her pony while riding near her school, Benenden in Kent.

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Anne was also knocked unconscious when a horse fell on her at the Portman Horse Trials in Dorset, suffering bruises, concussion and a hairline fracture in her vertebrae, in 1976. Her injuries were fortunately not serious enough to rule her out of competing in the Olympics that same year.