Who Is Princess Anne? British Royal Hospitalised For Head Injuries

Britain's Princess Anne has been hospitalised after an undisclosed incident at her estate, Gatcombe Park, on June 23, the Buckingham Palace said in a statement. The royal member has suffered a minor injury and a concussion and has been admitted to Southmead Hospital, Bristol, for observation. The statement read that she is "receiving appropriate expert care" and is expected to make a "swift recovery." Her engagements for the upcoming week have reportedly been postponed.

While the Palace has described the issue as an "incident", media reports have stated that Princess Anne, an Olympian equestrian, was injured after being kicked by a horse. The Independent reported that she has also suffered temporary memory loss after the accident. However, the Palace has not confirmed any of these speculations. 

Who is Princess Anne? 

Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II's only daughter, is known to define herself as someone who is not everyone's image of a fairy-tale princess. Even at 72 today, she is considered the most hard-working Royal. Also an Olympian, Princess Anne was appointed Princess Royal in 1987 and is currently fulfilling all the duties she is supposed to partake in after her mother's demise.

Born on August 15, 1950, Princess Anne is the second child of the late Queen and the late Prince Philip. She went to boarding school to study in 1963, and inheriting her mother's enthusiasm for horses, she became an accomplished equestrian at a young age. The princess defied royal convention by becoming a competitive equestrian, appearing in public competition at the age of 11. She became the first British royal to win a European gold medal in 1971.

She married equestrian and army officer Mark Phillips in 1972, after winning the European Eventing Championship in 1971. Princess Anne represented Britain at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal but did not win a medal due to a horrific fall that caused her to give up horseback riding. In 1987, Anne was given the title Princess Royal, which is customarily bestowed on the monarch's eldest daughter.

Princess Anne and Captain Phillips divorced in 1992, and she later married navy commander, Timothy Laurence. They married in Scotland since the Church of England forbade divorcees from remarrying. Princess Anne and her first husband share two children, Peter and Zara. Breaking the custom, the couple had agreed that Phillips should not take a title so that their children might live their own lives. Zara is a successful equestrian and followed her parents' path to the Olympics.

Anne joined the International Olympic Committee in 1988 and also served on the London 2012 organising committee.

Earning the reputation of the most hardworking Royal

Having chosen not to attend university, Princess Anne dedicated her working life to charities, and her spontaneous work and long hours of routine earned her the title of most hardworking royal. Having taken on even more obligations in the past year owing to her mother's illness, she had 36 royal engagements scheduled for July alone, and in 2021 she had 387 meetings, two more than her elder brother, according to reports.

Anne supports hundreds of organisations and has been a patron of Save the Children for almost 50 years now. She supports approximately 300 charities, organisations, and military units, and consistently ranks first in the list of royal engagements. With her mother's demise, and her older brother taking over the reins, Anne is now expected to become a solid advisor for her brother, with whom she shares a close bond.

She was seen escorting her mother's coffin on the many stages of its final trip, while her elder brother got occupied with his duty as King Charles III. Princess Anne and King Charles are only 21 months apart in age.

In a previously unseen interview telecasted by ITV,  Princess Anne shared how her mother always led by example, with her children following suit by watching and learning. "There is no guidebook in that regard, it was about listening and learning, not making assumptions, and especially not throwing your weight around," she told ITV.