In a heartfelt gesture of gratitude, Princess Anne has revisited the intensive care unit at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, where she received life-saving treatment for severe brain injuries sustained in a traumatic accident last year.
On June 23, 74-year-old Princess Anne was injured by a horse at her Gloucestershire home while feeding her hens. She was struck from behind, resulting in serious injuries and a concussion.
After being rushed to the hospital, she spent five nights there before being discharged on June 28. Initially, Buckingham Palace described her hospitalization as a precaution.
Princess Anne later shared the extent of her injuries and thanked the medical staff for their care.
The critical care team and paramedics who treated Anne were introduced to her upon her return to the hospital.
She found the meeting with the hospital staff “useful,” as she still could not remember the events.
The Princess thanked the medical staff after visiting the ICU and spoke with several, including Morwenna Maddock, the ICU matron in charge of her care.
“You’ve been filling in the blanks, which partly, from my perspective, is really useful to know how it happened, because I seriously don’t have any idea, and sadly, I don’t have huge memories of being in here either,” she said.
“But I just know I was really well looked after, so thank you. But whatever you did, it seemed to work…. the recovery has been relatively straightforward, thankfully. That isn’t always true, so I’m really grateful.
“But I’m also grateful in a weird sort of way that I remember nothing, because that has huge advantages – you can just carry on.”
Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence, Anne’s husband, informed reporters outside the hospital two days after the event that she was “doing fine” and that her recuperation was “slow but sure.”
