Princess Anne suffers ‘temporary memory loss’ after being kicked by horse – royal family news

Princess Anne is being treated for a concussion after it is believed a horse kicked her within the grounds of her Gloucestershire estate on Sunday evening – but it is not the first time she has been injured in such an incident.

The royals are known for their love of sport, including Anne, who nearly five decades ago became the first in the family to compete in an equestrian event at the Olympics.

Anne rode the late Queen’s horse Goodwill in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal games in Canada.

Her debut did not, however, go to plan. Goodwill failed to make one of the jumps on the course and fell, bringing Anne down too.

Horses can react by kicking if they “feel threatened, scared or are in pain”, an equine expert has said.

Equine behaviourist Chloe Campbell said warning signs include “pinned ears, tense facial muscles, swishing tails or shifting weight”.

Princess Anne is in hospital after suffering injuries to her head and concussion when it is believed she was kicked by a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate.

Ms Campbell told the PA news agency: “As an equine behaviourist, my thoughts are with the princess and her family during this difficult time.

“This incident is an important reminder of the importance of understanding equine behaviour and ensuring the horse is in a suitable environment.”

Meghan Markle’s father has disputed her claim that she “achieved everything on her own” when it came to her acting career.

The Duchess of Sussex, 42, rose to fame on Suits before giving up her career to marry Prince Harry, although there has been intense speculation about whether she will return to acting now that she is no longer a working royal.

“She makes out she achieved everything on her own, but one of the directors of General Hospital, Owen Renfroe, gave her one line to read which helped her to get an actor’s union card,” Thomas Markle, 79, told the Daily Mail.

“That was what started her career.”

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have come under fire for their alleged plans to send Prince Archie and Princess Lilibet to a “prestigious” private school.

Royal commentator Lee Cohen said this undermines their apparent commitment to progressive causes.

“Their supposed commitment to progressive causes is nothing but a facade. If they’re willing to indulge in this epitome of elitism, there is no advocating for equality,” he told GB News.

Thomas Markle has claimed that there was “no bad blood” between him and his daughter until she got into a relationship with Prince Harry.

Markle, 79, who has been estranged from Meghan since 2018, expressed his hope to meet his two grandchildren ahead of his 80th birthday.

Reflecting on his relationship with his daughter in the Daily Mail, he said: “[Doria and I] had such an amicable divorce that after I retired to Mexico and had to go to LA, I would stay with Doria and she’d cook me dinner.

“I always provided well for Meghan and Doria and was happy to do so. There was never any bad blood between us until Meghan met Harry.”

The pair’s relationship fell apart completely following a staged paparazzi photoshoot, but Thomas has expressed a desire to reconcile.

This comes amid reports that the Duke of Sussex and Meghan Markle are “running out of time” to reconcile with the royals.

“Whatever might happen in the future, the trust that was implicit in his relationship with Harry is gone for good,” the insider told the Daily Mail.

“Even if it is possible that some kind of ­managed reconciliation could be achieved, it will be never anything more than superficial.”

The brothers’ relationship has grown increasingly frosty since Prince Harry stepped down as a working royal in 2020 and subsequently told all about his time in the family to Oprah Winfrey in 2021 and again in his 2023 memoir Spare.

It is believed that while the vehicle was dispatched to the Gatcombe Park estate just after 9 pm, it was not used by the Princess Royal.

As reported by the Telegraph, a local man said: “I saw an air ambulance landing on her estate and I thought ‘oh my goodness, I hope it’s not Anne’.

“And then the police helicopter started circling about ten minutes later and I thought the worst. I thought something awful must have happened and I was worried a criminal might be on the loose, but the police helicopter was off pretty quickly.”

While the princess is currently in hospital, she is expected to make a full and swift recovery after sustaining a concussion and minor injuries.

The local man added: “The air ambulance was on the ground for about 40 minutes I think – I’m not sure if it took her to hospital but didn’t look like it did as it flew off the other way.

“I really hope she’s going to be okay.”

This was brilliantly displayed back in 1974 when a gunman attempted to kidnap her for ransom from her car on the Mall outside Buckingham Palace.

When he asked the princess, then 23, to get out of her Austin Princess, she simply replied: “Not bloody likely.”

The pair have been on sour terms since Meghan’s 2018 wedding to Prince Harry, when Thomas Markle, now 79, posed for staged paparazzi photographs.

He has now said via a new interview that he would “love” to speak to the Monarch, citing their shared health concerns and “unanswered questions.”

“I would love to speak to him because I am sure he has as many unanswered questions as I do,” he told the Daily Mail.

“Neither of us deserves the treatment we’ve received.

“He is going through cancer treatment and I’m not in the best of health.”

Chloe Campbell said that horses behave in this way when they “feel threatened, scared or are in pain.”

Those who spend time around the animals are advised to look out for warning signs including “pinned ears, tense facial muscles, swishing tails or shifting weight”.

Ms Campbell told the PA news agency: “As an equine behaviourist, my thoughts are with the princess and her family during this difficult time.

“This incident is an important reminder of the importance of understanding equine behaviour and ensuring the horse is in a suitable environment.”

She added: “Horses are naturally gentle animals and a prey species, but they can react unpredictably if they feel threatened, scared or are in pain.

“To the average eye, this may seem unpredictable, although to the trained eye, overt behaviours such as kicking can usually be predicted with precursor behaviours, such as tail swishing.”

The Princess Royal is expected to make a full and swift recovery after sustaining minor injuries and a concussion.