How 'hardest working royal' Anne has played a key role in propping up Charles' slimmed-down monarchy as King and Kate battle cancer - and what it could mean for the Royal Family now she's in hospital

As the hardest working member of the Royal Family, Princess Anne has played a crucial role in propping up the slimmed-down monarchy while King Charles and the Princess of Wales have both been battling cancer.

But the Princess Royal, 73, is now facing her own health battle after being rushed to hospital with minor injuries to her head and concussion following an incident on her Gatcombe Park estate.

It is believed that Anne, an Olympic-medal winning equestrian, was walking on her Gloucestershire estate on Sunday evening when she was hurt. Her medical team are understood to believe the minor wounds to her head are consistent with a potential impact from a horse's head or legs.

The Princess Royal was treated at the scene before being transferred to Southmead Hospital in Bristol for appropriate tests, treatment and observation.

Anne, who was the hardest working member of the Royal Family in 2023, has demonstrated her importance by carrying out dozens of engagements while Charles and Kate have both been undergoing cancer treatment.

She is expected to make a full recovery but will miss nine engagements in the coming seven days, including a royal visit to Canada this Sunday. 

The Princess Royal, who was last seen at Royal Ascot on June 20, carried out 457 royal engagements last year, 32 more than her brother Charles.

She has continued her busy workload this year - and her absence will no doubt have a major impact on the Royal Family's engagements. 

Buckingham Palace has confirmed that on doctors' advice, her engagements for the week ahead will be postponed.

A planned trip to Canada at the end of this week has also been cancelled.

Plans are being examined in close consultation with the Canadian Government as to how the Princess's proposed engagements may be adapted in her absence.

The Japanese State Visit will go ahead as planned, though sadly the princess will be unable to attend the State banquet tomorrow.

In June alone, Anne has carried out a number of royal engagements. She was most recently seen in public at Royal Ascot with other members of the Royal Family on Thursday. 

She was pictured showing her support for Lady Gabriella Windsor, who was making her first public appearance since her husband Thomas Kingston died in February.

Three days before, on June 17, Anne was in attendance for the ancient Order of the Garter procession - as she joined King Charles and Queen Camilla at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.

The busiest event for the Royal Family this month was the Trooping the Colour - where Anne rode on horseback on a day where royal fans were distracted by the return of Kate who appeared on the balcony with Prince William and their children.

On June 12, Anne once again stepped in to help with an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle where she awarded Sir Martin Amis' widow, US writer Isabel Fonesca, an insignia for her late husband's knighthood.

She also awarded world champion cyclist Lizzie Deignan, who was silver medallist in the road race at the London 2012 Olympics, an MBE.

And on June 5, Anne joined British and Canadian veterans in Normandy to mark the 80th anniversary of the Second World War D-Day landings.

In her role as Colonel-in-Chief of the Royal Regina Rifles, a Canadian military unit, Anne hailed the 'loyalty, bravery and duty' of the regiment as she unveiled a statue to honour them.

The ceremony was staged in Place des Canadiens in the town of Bretteville l'Orgueilleuse, where in the days following the famous June 6 landings the Canadian regiment resisted enemy counterattacks head-on, without giving up any ground.

While Anne represented the Royal Family in Normandy, the King and Queen joined the Prince of Wales, leading UK politicians and veterans at a major commemorative event in Portsmouth, where the King gave his first public speech since being diagnosed with cancer.

Although Charles has returned to royal events this month, Anne played a big role in stepping up in the first half of the year.

She represented Charles at the  Sovereign's Royal National Lifeboat Institution garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 23 - where she awarded a Silver Medal for Gallantry to Coxswain Patch Harvey, a hero lifeboatman who battled hurricane-like conditions to save the lives of eight people stranded on a French yacht in 2022.

That was the day after she had returned from an official visit to Norway - where she was reunited with her godson Crown Prince Haakon as they went to the Norwegian Resistance Museum in Oslo.

Meanwhile on May 6, Anne praised Chelsea Pensioners celebrating Founder's Day at Royal Hospital Chelsea.

She delivered a moving speech, while almost each of the almost 300 Chelsea Pensioners were able to speak to the royal.

The Princess Royal said: 'Pensioners, staff, volunteers, ladies and gentlemen – it is a real pleasure for me to be here with you again at the Royal Hospital Chelsea for your Founder's Day.

'Together, we remember the sacrifice of so many of those sailors, soldiers and aviators which started that road to freedom on the 6 June 1944.

'Can I thank all of you, Chelsea Pensioners, for continuing to represent our nation so proudly at the countless commemorations, celebrations and other events throughout the year that you are invited to and volunteer for.'

In May, Anne also attended the Not Forgotten Association Annual Garden Party and Sovereign's Garden Party at Buckingham Palace after going on a royal trip to Canada with her husband Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence.

The former equestrian also attended the Royal Windsor Horse Show in Windsor on May 2.

 She undertook 172 engagements up to the end of April, an increase of four on the first four months of 2023.

In March, the Princess Royal visited the Lockerbie Air Disaster Memorial in Dumfries, Scotland, where she lay a wreath in a touching tribute.

She also carried out further investitures at Windsor Castle  and hosted a reception for Korean war veterans at Buckingham Palace to mark the 70th anniversary of the Korean War on behalf of Charles.

As a horse lover, Anne was also seen at Chelstenham Festival in March while in the same month, she played a crucial role at the Commonwealth Day Service at Westminster Abbey.

In February, the Princess Royal met rugby league great Rob Burrow and praised him for his Motor Neurone Disease fundraising before his tragic death.

Anne was also one of the major royals at the Thanksgiving service for King Constantine of Greece -  which William pulled out of because of his wife's cancer diagnosis.

During a busy month, Anne even travelled to Namibia, where she attended the funeral of the  late Namibian President Hage Geingob.

In the days after Charles revealed he was battling cancer on February 5, Anne put on a brave face, continuing with multiple royal engagements.

The day after her brother's shock cancer diagnosis, she covered 407 miles, starting in Gloucestershire, carrying out events in Windsor and Nottingham, before continuing with more in London.

After a positive update that Kate was making 'good progress', the monarchy has not been hit by Anne's health scare, leaving them short of their hardest worker. 

Harry and Meghan also stepped down as senior royals in 2020, while Prince Andrew also stepped back from public life amid the Jeffrey Epstein scandal.

In a rare interview earlier last May, Anne said she does not think a slimmed-down monarchy is a 'good idea'.

Her comments came amid reports the King could reduce the number of working royals and cut back staffing.

She told CBC News: 'Well, I think the 'slimmed down' was said in a day when there were a few more people around. It doesn't sound like a good idea from where I'm standing, I would say. I'm not quite sure what else we can do.' 

Buckingham Palace said in a statement: 'The Princess Royal has sustained minor injuries and concussion following an incident on the Gatcombe Park estate yesterday evening.

'Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery.

'The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole royal family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery.'

The Princess's accident is the latest health upset to the hit the royal family this year, with both the King and the Princess of Wales diagnosed with and undergoing treatment for cancer, and Sarah, Duchess of York, having skin cancer.

Anne won the individual championship at Burghley in 1971, and was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

In 1976, she took part in the Montreal Olympics as a three-day eventer with the British equestrian team.

The Princess survived an attempted kidnapping in 1974 when a gunman tried to abduct her and then-husband Captain Mark Phillips as they were driven along The Mall to Buckingham Palace.

She kept her cool, and when the gunman, Ian Ball, told her to 'Come with me for a day or two' because he wanted £2million, she replied it was not 'bloody likely, and I haven't got £2million'.