Princess Anne has thanked NHS staff who saved her life after she was struck by a horse and ended up in an intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital in Bristol. The shocking incident happened in June last year when the 74-year-old princess was on her way to see her chickens on her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucester.
Anne has no memory of what followed but it’s thought she was struck by a horse’s head or legs. Due to the nature of the incident an air ambulance and emergency services were dispatched to Anne’s Gloucestershire home. After initial assessments the medical crew decided Anne needed hospital treatment so the princess was taken by road 30 miles to Southmead Hospital.
Anne thanked medical crews at the hospital who were involved in her care, saying: “Sadly, I don’t have huge memories of being in here either. I just know I was really well looked after so thank you. 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 appeared to joke about her horses and which one was responsible for her injuries, saying: “I know if there was a perpetrator who managed to do that much damage, they’re not letting on either, so relationships remain absolutely secure,” reports The Sun.
Anne spent five nights in hospital after her accident on June 23 and rested for three weeks after rehabilitation support at home, it was only then when she returned to public royal duties. Anne has described how “every day is a bonus” after she suffered concussion and minor head injuries.
On a recent tour to South Africa, the princess remarked of the incident: “It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something (happens) and you might not recover.” The Princess added: “You’re jolly lucky if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis, and last summer I was very close to not being. Take each day as it comes, they say.”
When asked if she intended to retire, she replied: “It isn’t really an option, no.”
