Update on Princess Anne’s health after shock hospitalisation

Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence said the Princess Royal was “recovering slowly” as he made brief remarks to reporters outside Bristol’s Southmead Hospital on Wednesday, local time.  

Asked when the 73-year-old might be discharged from hospital, having already spent three nights at the clinic, Sir Tim simply replied: “She’ll be out when she’s ready.”

Sir Tim reportedly left the hospital about 2pm after spending two-and-a-half hours with his wife, to whom he has been married to for 32 years. 

Footage shared on social media by Britain’s ITV News showed Sir Tim walking over to a dark coloured vehicle as he was asked questions by the media before driving away. 

The 69-year-old made similar comments to reporters on Tuesday, following another lunch visit with the Princess Royal. 

“She’s doing fine, slow but sure,” Sir Tim said outside the clinic.

The retired Royal Navy officer said he and Princess Anne were “both profoundly grateful to the medical team and hospital support staff for their expert care”. 

“We are both deeply touched by all the kind messages we have received from so many people near and far. It means a great deal,” he added. 

Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall, 42, also snapped visiting her mother in the Bristol clinic on Tuesday. 

She disappeared into a waiting car outside the main entrance of the hospital and was driven away shortly before 5.30pm.

Princess Anne, King Charles’ younger sister, was hospitalised on Sunday evening after sustaining a concussion and minor injuries following an incident at her Gatcombe Park estate. 

While Buckingham Palace has not confirmed the exact circumstances surrounding the incident, is understood her injuries could have been caused by impact from a horse’s head or legs.

“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 read. 

“The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole Royal Family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to The Princess for a speedy recovery.”

Messages of support have been flooding in for the Princess Royal as he recovers in hospital, with the UK’s Prime Minister Rishi Sunak among those wishing her a speedy recovery. 

“Everyone in the country is immensely fond of Her Royal Highness,” he wrote on X on Monday.

“We’re all sending her our best wishes for a swift recovery.”

Princess Anne reportedly has no recollection of what happened at her at her Gatcombe Park estate on Sunday night, according to The Daily Mail.