Zara Tindall has been left “shaken to the core” by her mother Princess Anne’s mystery encounter with a horse which left her with a brain injury that has resulted in amnesia, according to a report.
OK! Magazine says that Zara, 43, has been left freaked out by the incident which saw Anne, 73, also known as The Princess Royal, struck by a horse while she was out walking, alone, on Sunday, June 23, at her home, Gatcombe Park, in the Cotswolds.
She was treated at the scene and then hospitalized for five days with severe concussion and has no idea what happened, but her doctors believe she was either kicked or headbutted.
“This is exactly what Zara’s been worried about happening for years now, but her mom hasn’t had a chance to slow down with everyone else falling apart,” a source said, referring to the catalogue of chaos that has hit the royals in recent months, with both King Charles and the Princess of Wales struck with cancer less than a year after Charles’ coronation.
The source added: “It’s really shaken Zara to the core, and she’s desperately hoping this memory loss is temporary. This has been a huge wake-up call for everyone in the family, and they’re rightfully distressed.”
Anne, 73, is expected to make a full recovery. Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, said, after her discharge from hospital: “We are both profoundly grateful to the medical team and hospital support staff for their expert care, and to the emergency services who were all so wonderful at the scene. 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.”
Zara is married to former rugby player Mike Tindall. They have three children.
Rumors have been circulating in recent days that Charles might seek to bring Zara into the orbit of the working royal family.
Anne is famed for a prodigious work ethic which sees her carry out about 500 public engagements a year.
The bestselling royal biographer of the king, Christopher Andersen, previously told The Daily Beast: “The Princess Royal is 73, and, like her brother Charles obviously more vulnerable physically. Still, what is being described as a mild concussion is nothing new for Anne, or for Charles, for that matter. They have both been riding since early childhood and sustained all sorts of injuries in the process.
“Charles was ferociously competitive on the polo field, and Anne competed in equestrian events in the 1976 Olympics. Before foxhunting was banned in 2004, Charles and Anne both loved to ride to the hounds. All manner of bruises, fractures, sprains, dislocations, and concussions go with territory.”
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