Last June, Princess Anne had a very serious injury on her estate, Gatcombe Park. Over the months, we’ve pieced together some of the story – Anne was outside alone, and she got a severe head injury somehow, possibly horse-related, and someone in her family found her unconscious in a field. She ended up being hospitalized for the better part of a week. She had a very serious concussion, and she has complete memory loss around what happened to her. If you ask me, Anne probably had the most serious and life-altering medical situation in the family in 2024, but no one treated it that way and she was expected to just carry on and lift the dead weight of her lazy grifter family before her bruises even healed. Last week, Anne was in South Africa for two days- without her husband, who got injured right before he was supposed to go with her – and she ended up speaking to the media while she was down there.
During her two-day tour of South Africa, Princess Anne opened up about the frightening incident last summer that left her with a concussion. The Princess Royal, 74, said that she had no memory and recalled “nothing” of the accident that left her hospitalized for five days, believed to be caused by an impact with a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate. The accident taught her that “every day is a bonus, really,” according to the BBC.
After the royal was injured last June, her medical team described her injuries as being consistent with an impact from a horse’s head or legs. When asked whether the last thing she remembered was walking into a field, Anne said, ‘No, I don’t even remember that. I know where I thought I was going, and that was to go to the chickens, no, nothing to do with horses,” Princess Anne said about the incident. Seeing the chickens was “my regular visit,” she added. “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,” she continued.
“You’re jolly lucky … if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis [of sound mind], and last summer I was very close to not being,” Princess Anne added. “Take each day as it comes, they say.”
When asked if she planned to retire anytime soon, the longtime hardest working member of the royal family said that retirement “isn’t really an option.”
“I don’t think there’s a retirement program on this particular life,” the Princess Royal added.
When asked if she’d suffered any long-term damage from the incident seven months ago, Princess Anne joked, “Apparently not — at least I don’t think so. As far as I know, nobody else thinks so — they haven’t been honest enough to tell me yet. So far, so good,” she added.
This genuinely made me sad: “I don’t think there’s a retirement program on this particular life.” It’s true. They made the poor 88-year-old Duke of Kent hobble around repeatedly last year, and they call him “semi-retired” or something. What Anne needs is a real rest and recuperation from a traumatic head injury – but instead, they forced her out for events before her bruises even healed. If you ask me, the head injury changed Anne. I mean, I don’t know the woman and I’m only judging her from her public statements, but it seems like the injury took away Anne’s sharpness in a way. She just seems so vulnerable in a way she never used to sound before. I can’t imagine having no memory of the incident either – and to not even know why she was in the field? Yikes.
Photos courtesy of Cover Images.
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- The Princess Royal arrives for a visit to the South African Riding School for Disabled Association (SARDA)while on her two-day to trip to South Africa. Featuring: Princess Anne Where: South Africa When: 21 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess Royal in the stables during a visit to the South African Riding School for Disabled Association (SARDA) while on her two-day to trip to South Africa. Featuring: Princess Anne Where: South Africa When: 21 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess Royal views the Princess Anne rose with Anja Taschner (right) daughter of Ludwig Taschner of Ludwig’s Roses, during a visit to the British High Commission Residence garden in Pretoria, while on her two-day to trip to South Africa. Featuring: Princess Anne with Anja Taschner Where: Pretoria, South Africa When: 21 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess Royal meeting memorial Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, vice chairman of the CWGC at the opening of the new Labour Corps Memorial at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWCG) at the Company’s Garden in Cape Town during her two-day to trip to South Africa. The memorial honours over 1,700 members of South African labour units, predominantly black South Africans, and is the first memorial on the continent of Africa honouring those who served in non-combat roles in the military labour units during the First World War. Featuring: Princess Anne meeting memorial Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, vice chairman of the CWGC Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 22 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess Royal makes a speech during a service to officially open the new Labour Corps Memorial at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWCG), Company’s Garden in Cape Town during her two-day to trip to South Africa. The memorial honours over 1,700 members of South African labour units, predominantly black South Africans, and is the first memorial on the continent of Africa honouring those who served in non-combat roles in the military labour units during the First World War. Featuring: Princess Anne Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 22 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
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- The Princess Royal makes a speech during a service to officially open the new Labour Corps Memorial at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWCG), Company’s Garden in Cape Town during her two-day to trip to South Africa. The memorial honours over 1,700 members of South African labour units, predominantly black South Africans, and is the first memorial on the continent of Africa honouring those who served in non-combat roles in the military labour units during the First World War. Featuring: Princess Anne Where: Cape Town, South Africa When: 22 Jan 2025 Credit: PA Images/INSTARimages **NORTH AMERICA RIGHTS ONLY**
I genuinely wonder what she thinks of Will who is already prepping to retire by hardly working?
Philip didn’t stop working until he was ancient and the queen was working the day before she died. I think Anne is old school and won’t consider retirement until her body forces it on her.
Actually, Her Late Majesty signed a couple official documents for the Welsh assembly the morning of September 8, 2022. She literally worked until the day she died. One was posted on IG by @ royalteawithjam. I cry whenever I think about it. Her handwriting was still strong and clear that morning. Then I guess she finished her last bit of paperwork and finally allowed herself to rest.
But there is a retirement plan just look at what Peg and Can’t are/aren’t doing. They seem to be in retirement and on vacation constantly and seem to do only what they want if it’s fun or involves drinking. Retirement!!
I don’t feel sad for them for not being able to ”retire.” They live lives of unimaginable wealth and privilege. In return, they have to go to ribbon cuttings and shake people’s hands—. It’s hardly backbreaking work, and Kate and Wills have already shown that the public are perfectly fine if the royals only do it very occasionally.
As 2023 comes to a close, the Prince and Princess of Wales completed 172 and 123 royal duties, respectively. This is far below what some analysts say an heir to the British throne and their consort should be comfortable with. By comparison, Princess Anne will end the year with a whopping 457 engagements to her roster, while King Charles III took second place with 425 completed duties. The Princess Royal’s impressive streak each year has won praise once again.
Link to article on hard working Anne versus lazy star players
https://www.theroyalobserver.com/p/prince-william-kate-middleton-dismal-work-record-throughout-2023
“But you know Diana was immensely close with William. ” made me laugh when you consider that William said his mother was paranoid.
None of them work and I’m not going to act like they do. Dropping in at a food bank for a photo op, giving a random speech, attending church or a parade…..its not work.
I always respected Anne. I like hard workers but I love being retired. I hope she still rides her horses and goes sailing with Tim.
Don’t worry, she doesn’t actually work hard at all. It’s a lie. These engagements are usually 20 – 30 Min unless it’s something she’s more interested in (horses). She has months and months off a year. She normally does say 3 at a time spread over 7 months. It’s not actual work. And she benefits greatly from this pr fiction.
And South Africa is a long, damn way from England for only a two-day trip. Did she build in some vacation time, like her brother & his wife, or her nephew & HIS wife? Maybe she should try William’s tactic. Like, she can retire. What are they going to do? Make her? How? They can’t make William or Katiekins do jacksh*t, why her?
Certainly she started doing events very soon after the injury but from what I can tell she’s doing less than she used to? Or I’m not paying attention. But yeah like the duke of Kent she’ll likely be dragged out till the end.
With Anne, I suspect she actually enjoys her engagements. Her face may not always register that, although she’s improved compared to how she used to be.
There’s been a change in her since QEII’s death, can’t pinpoint exactly what but there’s something.
Is this a matter of her not wanting to retire or her being brainwashed into believing she can’t retire because of duty?
Fair question.
Or maybe there are potential consequences for retiring that Anne doesn’t want to deal with? I think Anne’s housing is secure, but money to support it might not be, which might impact her children and grandchildren. I wouldn’t have questioned this during the Queen’s lifetime, and I’m guessing that her brother Charles has her back. It’s hard for me to imagine though, that anyone would want to leave the stability of their future in the hands of William and Kate, or, for that matter, in Camilla’s hands if it should come to that, even briefly. So while not retiring might seem like a small price to pay for an unimaginably lavish lifestyle, some of the strings attached to that might be considerable.
Interesting point.
Let’s hope to God that the powers that be, the British Establishment, have plans in place for managing William in due course.
It really looks bad that Anne did more engagements in a year where she got a concussion that required hospitalization but her nephew the future king without any physical health issue could not.
And Kate has milked this good days and bad days thing beyond the point of reasonableness. Once that video was put out, she needed to resume engagements back to her earlier pace, which was still far less than mostly everyone else anyway.
@Nic919 is Kate coming back to public duties at all? She did the RM visit but RR explained afterwards that she is making her own decision about when she is ready to resume royal duties on a regular basis. The ball was placed firmly in her court to decide NOT her consultant or employer. When she makes a Superbowl appearance it does raise the inevitable question of when is she going to resume her “work” schedule especially as we have been told that she finished chemo last September and is now on the mend. She is well enough to ski but not work two days a week like she used to?
All chemo / radiation patients are told not to expose their skin to the sun because cancer treatment makes the skin quite fragile. Going skiing is therefore a high risk activity whereby the sun would cause serious harm to skin. Kate’s cancer symptom ‘adviser’ is falling down on the task of training Kate in the details of what she needs to know / say when fielding ‘cancer’ related media questions. Oops, another fail.
Small anecdote, we are American and my husband works for a British company so we travel to London regularly.
Our last trip (in December), I was walking down the street and everyone stopped. Literally everyone stopped walking, driving, etc…and I was looking around like what??? A gentleman said something to me along the lines of Anne is coming, and pointed at a long line of cars, how they knew it was Anne, I don’t know. Maybe there is a certain flag. Everything came to a standstill as the motorcade came through, people bowed their heads..she put the window down and waved and said apologize for the I convenience, happy Christmas. And after she passed, everyone acted like nothing happened. It was so strange. There is a palpable respect for her in the country.
That is weird. I remember a similar circumstance in Rome–but it was for the Pope!
I always thought being a working royal was a hard job, if done right. Imagine having to be “on” all the time, appearing interested, responding to inane comments, pretending to like the food you’ve been served. I wouldn’t be able to sustain that day in and day out. And when we go home from work, we can turn “off”. For them, you can’t even go pick up milk and eggs without being “on”, as in having security, being aware of your surroundings. Sure the perks are worth it, but you pay for it with a loss of freedom. I saw William and Kate on an “off” day which I guess are many. They were touring Canada before George was born. I was in a little group gathered at the exit of a building to cheer and clap. They were running late, and breezed by us with nary a glance. William even looked pointedly at his watch. I shrugged. It had been a fun experience, but I felt sorry for the ladies who were wearing fascinators and their best dresses, and who had pushed their way to the front of our little group. W&K could have smiled and waved as they blew by, but they didn’t. And it was noticeable. I contrast that with my brother’s experience of meeting Prince Phillip at the Sudbury Science Center as the member of a crowd. Everybody got a crushing handshake and a few words!
There were rumblings about some of their behaviour in Canada for the 2011 tour but it was glossed over because it was not long after the wedding.
When they returned with George and Charlotte, the stories came out a bit more, like when they refused to eat the food at the Yukon hotel they were staying at and ordered a pizza from elsewhere instead. And there were some issues with the kids being seen at a local zoo.
Anne is one of the only respectable members of the RF. They gotta keep it classy and they hope you forget about Pedo Andy & Fergie rubbing shoulders with Epstein. They want you to forget that Camilla was a scheming home wrecker. Lets focus instead on Anne and her mysterious accident. Whatever.
When you are that old one major fall or injury can be the start of a landslide of issues.. statistically speaking it’s not good. I’m sure whatever happened did change her dramatically and probably not for the better, the decline will show. I have no sympathy for her whatsoever, she is just another adult relative that failed Prince Harry through out his life by not standing up for him imo.
@Hypocrisy. Agree 💯 with you. Shame on this cult family for not standing up for him.
Of all the working royals only Sophie looks well.
The ‘work’ that they do, they do not have to retire as they just show up, dressed up. Harry and Meghan were the only ones actually working. Even to this day, Meghan’s work is still bringing in money and helping people. Her capsule wardrobe is still working… The Royals over there only can give a ‘smile and a wave here and there’ they do Not Work. I do not care how many ‘engagements’ they go to.
Are we entirely sure it was a horse? I’ve always wondered why they were so quick to conclude she got kicked by a horse. She’s spent her entire life around horses—I just don’t see her getting attacked by one. How do we know a person didn’t bean her over the head?
“She’s spent her entire life around horses—I just don’t see her getting attacked by one. ”
Oh my sweet summer child, I wish it was like that.
I know a good dozen people who’ve spent their life around horses and had their life changed in an eyeblink. Experienced, savvy people.
Just a few separate examples I know from the past 6 months include:
– horse kicking a gate, striking owner in the head twice because there was a 2nd gate kick as it bounced off her. Still in concussion recovery
– face kick with orbital fractures and concussion
– 3 separate incidents of people with broken legs
God knows I’ve had my share. Its so much more common than anyone thinks
Horses sound dangerous. 😳
Yep. Got a cousin with a horseshoe shaped scar on her face. She was also experienced around horses.
My sister suffered broken toes after a working farm horse stood on her foot while she was adjusting its bridle. Happened in an instant. Took two people several minutes to force the horse to bend its knee and lift its foot off hers.
I/ve thought the same way numerous times. What did willy do?
“I don’t have any idea what I was doing in the field, because I never normally went that way.”
That is an interesting statement. I wonder if there was already some issue before the accident that nobody noticed. I am sure she got checked out fully while getting treatment, but it seems weird that she got out of her usual routine and an accident happened.
I’m going with the theory that she saw something, was distracted by something, and was walking towards it to check it out. How she was knocked unconscious is a mystery, could still be a horse issue but it leaves room for doubt.
Royal “work” is a joke, but it is sad that Anne has to make up for the laziness of the Wailses.
Also, her outfit here is classic and lovely. (There, I’ve said something positive about a royal other than H&M. That’s my quota met for the year.)
Oops, I meant to add that the white shoes are terrible.
Yeah, not fond of those shoes, either. Bet they were made especially for her, though, as was her dress. It looks like it was made out of one of those bolts of silk she’d come back from the Far East with.
Nice that you got your quota taken care of so early in the year! Lol
Maybe she had a stroke or seizure that caused her to fog out and walk to an area that was not where she was originally headed. She might have blacked out and fallen right on her face. Maybe no horses involved.
I am shocked she didn’t have a media team make a formal video announcement… she simply spoke to the media when asked. I believe the king did the same?!! How do they not know they are supposed to go into hiding, send out false narratives and then change the story all while posting glossy video commercials filled with no valuable info….