Why Is Princess Anne, King Charles’ Sister Hospitalized? Is the concussion Dangerous?

Princess Anne has been hospitalized after sustaining a head injury and concussion after possibly being attacked by a horse in her estate at Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire on Sunday. The hospital authorities said that she is recovering well and will be in the hospital for a week and will be kept under observation. The princess who is the sister of King Charles will have to skip all her official engagements for the coming week and this includes a planned trip to Canada. In a statement, the Buckingham Palace said that King Charles and his family have been informed regarding the incident and they were closely monitoring the health of the princess.

Incident:

The medical team observed that the injuries on the head are consistent with a potential impact from a horse’s head or legs. It is believed that she was either kicked or headbutted by a horse in her estate. The princess who is an Olympic medal winning horsewoman was walking at the time and not ridding the horse. She is stable at the hospital but due to the concussion, it is still not clear as to what caused the injuries.

A medical emergency team was dispatched to the estate after the incident. They shifted her to the hospital after providing some basic treatment. She was accompanied by her husband Admiral Sir Tim Laurence to the hospital. She has been admitted at the Southmead hospital in Bristol.

Royal duties:

The princess was scheduled to visit Canada and this visit will have to be postponed. She will be in the hospital for a week. Further, the Canadian government is being consulted on rescheduling this visit. Her week-long visit will also mean that she will not be able to attend the palace banquet being hosted in honor of the Japanese Emperor Naruhito and Empress Masako who will be on a three-day state visit to the UK.

FAQs:

What are the objectives of any foreign visit undertaken by the British Royal Family?
These visits are undertaken after consulting the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO). The FCO seeks to achieve some or the other diplomatic objectives with these visits. These visits often entail the members of the royal family participating in charity events, being hosted by the host state and some bit of diplomatic negotiations on crucial matters of bilateral interests.

After this incident involving Princess Anne, will the State visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress be cancelled?
The Palace issued a statement that the visit of the Japanese Emperor and Empress will continue. The princess will be unable to attend the event though.