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princess anne daredevil© Photo: Getty Images

Princess Anne's daredevil riding past revealed

Princess Anne takes a more daring approach to riding than other royal family members

Melanie Macleod
Wellness Editor
Updated: June 25, 2024
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Princess Anne worried royal watchers this week when Buckingham Palace shared that the 73-year-old is in hospital following an accident at home involving a horse.

The Princess Royal is being treated for minor injuries and concussion, with her medical team stating that her head injuries are consistent with a potential impact from a horse's head or legs.  

While King Charles' sister is expected to make a full and swift recovery, according to the palace, a concussion is a serious injury - though Princess Anne has been through much worse when it comes to horse-related injuries.

Princess Anne with small boy on horse© Shutterstock
Princess Anne has suffered several horse-related injuries

In a deep dive into Princess Anne's life published in Town and Country, it was revealed Anne had a taste for danger, with the article reading: "Anne was brave on a horse, too, excelling on the dangerous eventing circuits of English country homes (which includes Gatcombe), as well as at the Montreal Olympics in 1976."

Princess Anne's Olympics injury

It was during the 1976 Olympics that the Princess Royal suffered a worrying accident, after the horse she was riding, Goodwill, failed to make one of the jumps on the course, bringing the royal down with the fall.

Princess Anne on a horse that is jumping© Photo: Getty Images

Anne quickly remounted her horse, but reports reveal that the Princess Royal remembered little of the rest of the course, having suffered from a concussion during the accident.

Despite her seemingly swift recovery, the Princess later admitted in an interview: "It was going very well and then I don’t remember anything else. Nothing at all."

RELATED: Sophie Wessex's nasty accident almost made her miss crucial royal event

Luckily the royal equestrian was wearing a helmet, otherwise, her injuries could have been far worse. Princess Anne's 1976 accident isn't the only time the royal sustained equestrian-related injuries.

Princess Anne riding her horse© Photo: Getty Images

Just three years prior, the Queen's daughter was forced to withdraw from the European Equestrian Championships in Kiez, Germany, after a heavy fall. She and her horse Goodwill fell at a difficult double fence in the cross-Country section.

In her childhood, Princess Anne was taken to a hospital with a hand injury at age 14, after a horse‐riding accident near her school in Kent.

READ: Lady Louise Windsor's upsetting accident at Windsor Castle

The young princess cracked a bone in the little finger of her right hand after she had caught it in the rein of her pony. A Buckingham Palace spokesman said at the time: "The Princess's condition is perfectly satisfactory."

Princess Anne walking in nature© Photo: Getty Images

In 2008, Princess Anne fell foul of horses again. She was seen hobbling around with the help of a walking stick after she was kicked by a horse at her home.

Despite several misdemeanors, Anne's love for the equine life hasn't waned, with her father, Prince Philip, reportedly saying of his daughter's love for horses: "If it doesn't fart or eat hay, she isn't interested."

Here's hoping her latest accident doesn't dissuade the royal from riding.

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