Why We're Worried About Princess Anne

Princess Anne reassured fans that she was perfectly fine after the scary incident that left her with a head injury, but concerns about her well-being persist. As expected of the hardest-working royal, the princess jumped back into her duties right after leaving the hospital, but some fans reckon that Anne might not be in as good shape as she wants everyone to believe. In June 2024, Buckingham Palace announced to the public that the younger sister of King Charles III had been in an accident. While they didn't specify any details, the palace disclosed that she had sustained a concussion and some minor injuries. 

According to the BBC, doctors claimed that the injuries may have been caused by a run-in with a horse's legs or head. "Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery," the palace's statement assured the public. Meanwhile, her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, said she was "recovering slowly" after visiting Anne in hospital.

But it seems like Sir Laurence and the Princess Royal have very different ideas of what "slow" means. Less than two weeks later, she was back to the grind, even showing up at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, fulfilling her role as the President of the British Olympic Association and a member of the International Olympic Committee. But fans noticed that Anne didn't quite seem fully recovered, sparking speculation about her true condition.

Princess Anne might have her work cut out for her trying to convince royal watchers that she's completely fine. While many fans were impressed that she rocked some Instagirl drip at the 2024 Olympics, complete with a bucket hat and wrap-around shades, some folks aren't buying it. They're wondering whether she might need some more time to bounce back from what seems to have been a pretty serious accident. "Princess Anne looked tired & has lost so much weight. I hope that her Royal Highness is pacing herself. Take care Ma'am," one fan wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, while another commentator fretted, "Princess Anne does not look her old self. What really happened?"

Given the royal family's history of keeping medical matters strictly under wraps— King Charles III and Kate Middleton's cancer revelations being rare exceptions — we probably won't ever get the full story about the Princess Royal's condition. Anne herself hasn't made any official statements, but a reported comment to Helena Vega-Lozano, chair of the Riding for the Disabled Association (RDA), was both concerning and surprising. According to the Daily Mail, at a July 2024 RDA event, her first public appearance post-hospitalization, the princess reportedly admitted, "I can't remember a single thing about [the accident]."

Following the accident, Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, was reportedly horrified, feeling as though her worst fears had suddenly materialized. Tindall's apparently been increasingly concerned about her mother ever since as she's well into her golden years, but with King Charles III and Catherine, Princess of Wales, currently undergoing cancer treatment, Anne has been forced to rally in their absence. "This is exactly what Zara's been worried about happening for years now, but her mom hasn't had a chance to slow down with everyone else falling apart," a source informed OK! magazine. 

The Princess Royal even suffered a brief memory lapse when she was in the hospital, which might explain why Anne can't remember what happened. Understandably, "It's really shaken Zara to the core and she's desperately hoping this memory is temporary," the insider noted, adding, "This has been a huge wake-up call for everyone in the family and they're rightfully distressed." Despite all the fuss, Anne seems to be taking it in stride. 

She was reportedly in high spirits at the Paris Olympics, even managing to crack a joke while handing out medals. As British rower Lola Anderson recalled in an interview with BBC Sport, "She said that it was a bit too close [...] She said could we have won by a bit more? Which I probably agree with!" (via X). While everyone else is seemingly distraught over her condition, it really does look like nothing keeps the Princess Royal down for long!