Princess Anne returned to Southmead Hospital less than one year after she received treatment on-site for a concussion.
The Princess Royal, 74, made an official appearance at the medical facility in Bristol, England, on Thursday, February 6, where she thanked officials for her care.
“You’ve been filling in the blanks, which partly, from my perspective, is really useful to know what happened because I seriously don’t have any idea and, sadly, I don’t have huge memories of being in here either,” Anne said during her visit, per Hello! magazine. “I just know I was really well looked after, so thank you.”
She added, “But whatever you did, it seemed to work … the recovery being relatively straightforward, thankfully. That isn’t always true, so I’m really grateful. I’m also grateful in a weird sort of way that I remember nothing, because that has huge advantages — you can just carry on.”
Anne suffered a head injury, which was later ruled as a concussion, in June 2024.
“The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening,” Buckingham Palace shared in a statement at the time. “Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery.”
While Anne initially postponed her public duties to recuperate, she resumed her official engagements in July 2024 with a visit to the Riding for the Disabled Association National Championships.
Princess Anne was born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip in 1950, and she’s kept royal watchers enamored for more than 70 years. Anne married British army Captain Mark Phillips in 1973. The following year, the newlyweds had a fright when an attempt was made to kidnap the princess. Anne has been known for […]
“The Princess Royal began a gradual return to duties today with a visit to @rdauk’s National Championships at Hartpury University and Hartpury College,” the official royal family Instagram account wrote at the time. “At the Championships, the biggest equestrian event of its kind for disabled competitors, The Princess presented awards and met some of this year’s winners. 🎉This year marks the 55th anniversary of the RDA!”
Anne is the patron and president of the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), in connection to her long-held equestrian pursuits. She handed out trophies to the tournament winners and met RDA staffers during the outing.
Anne’s nephew Prince William and his wife, Princess Kate Middleton, later referred to their relative as a “super trooper” in a personal note shared via social media.
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“So great to see you back so soon,” William, 42, and Kate, 43, captioned an Instagram Story pic at the time.
Since Anne has returned to her regal duties, she’s been candid about her health scare.
“I know where I thought I was going and that was to go to the chickens, no, nothing to do with horses,” she told the Press Association in January during a visit to South Africa. “[It had been] 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.”