37 ‘Every day is a bonus’, says Princess Anne after horse accident Princess Royal speaks publicly for the first time about the unexplained concussion she suffered in June.

I've never been much interested in the Royals but I've always thought highly of Princess Anne. She's very much her own person, I feel, and has her mother's work ethic.

The 74-year old added: “It just reminds you, shows you – you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover.”

Asked about any lasting ill effects, she joked: “Apparently not, at least I don’t think so. As far as I know nobody else thinks so – [or] they haven’t been honest enough to tell me yet. So far so good.

“You are sharply reminded that every day is a bonus, really.”

She suggested she had had a lucky escape and had been “very close” to losing her faculties.

The Princess was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol by ambulance and spent five nights as an in-patient before being discharged to convalesce at home.

I'm glad Princess Anne is well again. She gets on with her job quietly and doesn't cause a fuss. I think she is most like the late Queen than any of her other children.

Every day should be a bonus for all of us- for once a Royal saying something sensible.

I like her.
I hope she really is OK.

I doubt she ever will remember what happened. I was concussed in a fall from a horse 60 years ago and still have no memory of the accident. Apparently I was walking and talking after it happened so they put me back on the horse, but I remember nothing between getting on the horse and waking up on the ride back to the stables.

Was it a fall? At the time we were led to believe it was a ‘head-butt’ with a horse, or something similar and that she’d been out walking.

I have a lot of respect for Princess Anne. She has been a huge asset to the RF.

She said she was going to the chickens, don’t think she was heading for the horses at all.

Hence why she can’t recall any more details, not meant to be riding or anything.

merlotgran

Was it a fall? At the time we were led to believe it was a ‘head-butt’ with a horse, or something similar and that she’d been out walking.

I have a lot of respect for Princess Anne. She has been a huge asset to the RF.

I thought it was something like that too. I don't think there was any indication that she'd actually been riding at the time.

I have a lot more respect for her than some of the other royals. Shame about the accident.

Yes apologies. I said a fall from a horse but you’ve reminded me, I think it was a head butt from a horse.

She said it was strange she chose the path she did as she didn’t usually set out in that direction.

Hat’s orf to you ma’m! 😊

Hear hear! Yes, I think it was a head butt merlotgran.

I know what she means. I wake up and think "Well, I'm still here".

AreWeThereYet, I'm a Republican who admires Princess Anne hugely....

Princess Anne is a fabulous role model, hats off to her

She's really rather wonderful, totally true to herself. and such a hard worker.. It's no wonder the lovely Tim clearly adores her.

In football you can get concussion from a head clash - it doesn’t have to be a fall. Usually you aren’t allowed to play sport again for three weeks.

Pretty scary thing to happen I imagine.

Horses have very big hard heads, so if it was a head movement from one that’s a real whack to take, especially when you’re older.
She seems to have sprung back anyway.

She’s great isn’t she?
Day after day she attends official functions without a tv camera following her. I guess she prefers it like that.

I always chuckle when I think about what her father once said about her.
“If it doesn’t fart and eat hay she isn’t interested!”

Concussion can and does kill. It killed my sister when she was knocked off her bike and hit her head on the kerb.

Another friend of mine was off work for well over a year after a road accident, She was the front seat passenger, the car spun and she hit her head against the door pillar.

Another friend has had a couple of falls wher she did not hit her head but the sudden jerk of her neck caused mild concussion and she now has long termpost-concussion syndrome www.nhsinform.scot/illnesses-and-conditions/injuries/head-and-neck-injuries/post-concussion-syndrome-pcs/

I write all this because I feel most people on this thread are treating concussion quite lightly, when even mild concussion is a serious injury that can cause long-term health effects, including being a long term catalyst for dementia. You do not need to be a footballer who did lots of headers, for concussion to contribute to dveloping dementia

I am an admirer of Princess Anne, but I think she treated what sounded like quite a serious concussion far too lightly. All though seeming back to normal in the public eye, I do wonder how long she suffered from other side effects, like headaches after her return to work.

I would want anyone who was as seriously concussed as she was to take a lot more than three weeks off. Being royalty does not protect you from the damage other people suffer after concussion and it is silly of her to risk her long term health just because she has a reputation to (now) being a tough old bird who carries on regardless that she wants to nurture.

I think her attitude is typical of most horse riders I know. I certainly know quite a few, myself included, who have had fairly serious falls and simply got straight back on the horse again. I once had a horse rear right up and fall backwards on top of me, and I just dusted myself down and got back on her again. It wasn't until the following day, when I was black and blue from head to foot, that it dawned on me what a lucky escape I'd had.

MOnica 💐
A salutary warning indeed.

I have a little wooden handpainted sign on the wall, that I found in a junk shop. That says "every day is a gift". It's there to remind me!

Anne did spend several days in hospital being treated for the
injury