Ciara Sullivan received immediate treatment, but died at the scene after sustaining serious injuries

Ciara Sullivan.Credit : Ministry of Defence/X

A soldier who died after falling from her horse following a display at a royal horse show has been identified.

Ciara Sullivan, who was part of the British Army’s Royal Horse Artillery, died after she fell from her horse at around 7 p.m. local time on Friday, May 15, according to a statement by the U.K. government’s Ministry of Defence (MoD), and a Thames Valley Police release.

The incident happened after the 24-year-old exited the arena at the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor, England, following the display.

The soldier was given immediate treatment, but sadly died at the scene, having sustained serious injuries, Thames Valley Police wrote on Saturday, May 16.

The force is treating her death as “unexplained,” but described it as “non-suspicious” in its statement. Sullivan’s next of kin was informed, and the police said they had been offered support.

Ciara Sullivan.Ministry of Defence/X

Sullivan, known as “Sully” to her friends, joined the British Army in Nov. 2020, before joining The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery in June 2021.

Her commanding officer described her as an “outstanding soldier and a role model to many she worked with,” in a release published by the MoD on Monday, May 18.

They added: “She was a fearless and gifted horsewoman, having ridden since childhood and having competed in the showjumping ring before joining the Regiment; it was this natural courage that made her always the first to volunteer to ride the most demanding of horses.”

Beyond her love of horses, they said Sullivan was a “skilled footballer,” and added: “The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery has lost not only an accomplished soldier and horsewoman, but the kind of person who made the Regiment, and the world, a better place simply by being part of it.”

The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery on May 15.Maureen McLean/Shutterstock

The horse show continued as planned on Saturday and Sunday, with the omission of the King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery display.

King Charles, 77, attended the event and was in the arena with other members of the royal family at the time of the incident. However, “they were not made aware of the severity of the situation until later,” Buckingham Palace told PEOPLE in a statement.

The British monarch was “greatly shocked and saddened” by Sullivan’s death, per the statement, which said he would be in touch with the family to share his “personal condolences.”

“The thoughts and most heartfelt sympathies of the whole Royal family are with the victim’s loved ones and military colleagues at this time of grief,” it added.

King Charles pictured at the Royal Windsor Horse Show on May 15.Andrew Matthews/PA Images via Getty

The MoD said Sullivan “loved horses and had a natural affinity for them” and had been involved in a number of ceremonial operations since joining The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery, including multiple Royal Gun Salutes in Hyde Park and Green Park and the state funeral of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.

Thames Valley Police is currently appealing for anyone with information or material relating to her death to come forward.

Chief Superintendent Michael Loebenberg said in the statement: “Our thoughts are with the soldier’s family and the wider community in the military and at the Royal Windsor Horse Show at this extremely difficult time.”

He added that they had not found any “suspicious circumstances” at this current stage and said they were working with the MoD, Defence Accident Investigation Branch and Royal Windsor Horse Show organizers, HPower, to find out as much information as possible.

SOURCE: https://people.com/24-year-old-woman-identified-as-soldier-who-died-after-falling-from-horse-at-royal-show-attended-by-king-charles-11977545