Princess Anne watches riding show four months after horse accident
The Princess Royal has attended a performance by the world’s oldest riding academy, four months after suffering concussion in a horse accident.
Princess Anne was treated to perfectly-synchronised routines, set to Viennese classical music, by eight riders and as many as 26 horses from the Spanish Riding School in London on Friday evening.
The academy, based in Vienna, Austria, has been maintaining and practising classical horsemanship in its Renaissance equestrian High School tradition for more than 450 years.
The Princess watched the opening night of a tour by the school at the OVO Arena Wembley from the royal box. She was joined by Lady Victoria Hervey, the model, Chuggs Wallis, an influencer, and thousands of fans.
The Princess was concussed in June after apparently being kicked in the head by a horse while walking on her Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
The exact circumstances of the June 23 accident remain unknown, as the Princess “couldn’t remember a single thing” about what had happened and there were no witnesses.
She was rushed to Southmead Hospital, in Bristol, and spent five nights as an in-patient before being discharged on June 28 to convalesce at home.
She returned to public duties by presenting awards at an equine competition three weeks later.
The Princess has supported the riding academy for decades and visited its training base several times. During a visit in 1969, she rode Lipizzaner horses alongside her mother, the late Queen Elizabeth II.
Nicki Chapman, the radio and TV presenter, said: “Hosting the opening night of the prestigious Spanish Riding School tour, with The Princess Royal in attendance, was an absolute honour.
“It’s been eight years since the Lipizzaner horses and their incredibly talented riders last visited the UK, and sharing the magic with both the Princess Royal and the British public made the evening all the more unforgettable.”
The academy will perform twice more at Wembley, on Saturday and Sunday, before heading to Aberdeen’s P&J Live for three shows on Oct 25, 26 and 27.
Princess Anne is a well-known horse enthusiast, having competed for Great Britain in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.
