The Princess Royal, 75, has suffered two publicly known concussions, including a health scare at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal

© Getty Images

Princess Anne appeared to make a confusing U-turn about her memories of the Olympic Games as she attended a reunion event on Tuesday.

The Princess Royal, 75, who became the first member of the Royal Family to compete in the Montreal Olympics in 1976, met her former British teammates to reminisce at a reception at Lansdowne House, a private members’ club in London.

She suffered a fall during the cross-country event, meaning there are now significant gaps in her memory – though she previously looked back on the Games fondly.

King Charles‘s sister, who is known for her hard work ethic, said: “I had a slight problem in that the bit I would like to remember, which is the cross country, I don’t.

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“But every now and again I see it and think ‘oh ok’. I suspect Goodwill remembers it, but I don’t.”

She added of the Olympics: “It was an experience, and a lot of it was a good experience.”

Conflicting memories

Previously, however, Anne seemed to have clearer memories of her experience, so it’s unclear how much she remembers.

In a message released to Team GB athletes ahead of the 2020 Games, she reflected: “I do remember from my own Olympic journey the anticipation and excitement of stepping onto the Olympic stage. But also the single-minded focus on what you need to do.”

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Princess Anne competing at the 1976 Olympics

The memory loss was the result of a concussion after falling off when her horse, Goodwill, became stuck in mud during a jump during the Montreal Olympics.

The Princess fell at the 19th fence of the cross-country course, and was praised by the BBC commentator on the day for her “outstanding physical courage”.

She later said of her apparent decision to remount and continue, “Come on, be fair, I was put back on!”, adding: “The lights were on but there was no one at home.”

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Princess Anne attended a reunion of the 1976 Olympic Games at the Lansdowne Club

Concussions are a form of brain injury, often occurring after a forceful blow to the head or a fall.

The three-day event in 1976 was watched by Anne’s mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II, her father, Prince Philip, and her three brothers, Charles, Andrew and Edward.

Anne’s daughter, Zara Phillips, went on to win a silver medal in the same event at the London 2012 Olympics.

A more recent health scare

In 2024, Princess Anne was at her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire when she suffered a second concussion.

At the time, her medical team reported that her head injuries were consistent with the potential impact from a horse’s head or legs.

© Mark Cuthbert
Princess Anne with one of her horses at Trooping the Colour

In an interview during her visit to South Africa in January 2024, Anne, who is married to Sir Timothy Laurence, said she didn’t “remember a single thing” about the incident, but said it had encouraged her to reflect.

She said: “It just reminds you, shows you — you never quite know, something [happens] and you might not recover.”

“You’re jolly lucky… if you can continue to be more or less compos mentis, and last summer I was very close to not being. Take each day as it comes, they say. You are sharply reminded that every day is a bonus really.”

Later last year, a source who knows Anne well told The Times that her accident had been “so much worse than anyone let on”.

SOURCE: https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/906806/princess-anne-confusing-u-turn-memory-loss-horse-accident/