Princess Anne’s Head Injury Only Deepens the Rolling Royal Crisis
Princess Anne, known for her tireless dedication to royal duties, has suffered a head injury, reportedly caused by a horse at her residence, Gatcombe Park in the Cotswolds. This incident would be concerning under any circumstances, but it comes at a particularly tumultuous time for the British royal family.
King Charles III is battling cancer, which has forced him to cancel a planned tour of New Zealand. His daughter-in-law, the Princess of Wales, is also fighting the disease and has largely withdrawn from public life since the beginning of the year, making only a brief appearance at Trooping the Colour alongside her family just over two weeks ago.
Prince William has significantly reduced his public engagements to support his wife and family. With Princess Anne now out of action, only three full-time working royals remain unaffected by illness: Queen Camilla, who has stepped up to support her husband despite her reluctance for public appearances, and Prince Edward and his wife Sophie, Duchess of Edinburgh.
Princess Anne, renowned for her prodigious work ethic, typically undertakes around 500 public engagements annually. Her absence, having already withdrawn from a trip to Canada and a state visit by the Japanese emperor to London this week, is a significant blow to the royal family’s public duties.
Some insiders believe King Charles is partly to blame for the current staffing crisis. A royal insider noted, “Plenty of people, including Anne, have been saying the royals have been spread too thinly. This is not a new thing. Prince Andrew’s exit from royal duties in 2019 and Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s departure in 2020 were clear signs that the number of working royals was dwindling.”
The insider continued, “No one could have predicted Kate’s illness, but it was foreseeable that Charles, Camilla, and Anne, all in their seventies, would eventually need to reduce their workloads. Charles should have brought Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie back into the fold. They have both expressed willingness to help, but he doesn’t like admitting mistakes.”
A friend of Charles, however, defended his decision, stating, “Charles decided to reduce the number of working royals because he saw that the days of having numerous minor relatives living off the family are over. No European royal family is expanding their numbers. Anne’s hospitalization has nothing to do with it. The palace has said it is a minor issue, and I am sure she will be back very soon.”
Royal writer and YouTuber Lady Colin Campbell, a friend of Princess Diana, commented, “I have been saying for the last 30 years that Charles’ idea of treating Britain like Denmark was crazy. Now we have three royals out of action, and Anne is the busiest of them all. This accident, though unforeseeable, should make Charles realize they need to bring in Beatrice and Eugenie and get Edward and Sophie’s children, Louise and James, involved.”
Christopher Andersen, a bestselling royal biographer, noted, “The Princess Royal is 73, and like her brother Charles, she is more vulnerable physically. However, what is being described as a mild concussion is nothing new for Anne or Charles. They have both been riding since early childhood and have sustained various injuries over the years.”
Andersen added, “Charles was fiercely competitive on the polo field, and Anne competed in equestrian events in the 1976 Olympics. Before foxhunting was banned in 2004, both loved to ride to the hounds. Bruises, fractures, sprains, dislocations, and concussions come with the territory.”
What makes this situation different, Andersen explained, is that Charles can scarcely afford to lose even one working member of the royal family, especially when he and Kate are battling cancer, and Harry and Andrew are out of the picture. “As the senior royals get older, there will inevitably be more health challenges. But it does seem odd that we’re witnessing one medical problem after another being heaped on the new sovereign in rapid succession. One gets the sense that the royal family is on the ropes.”
Looking to the future, Andersen noted William’s plans to further scale down the British monarchy, which could lead Charles to worry that, “once he is no longer in the picture, a King William V will take his plans for modernization several steps too far.”
The royal family’s current predicament underscores the challenges of maintaining a streamlined monarchy while ensuring that public duties are adequately fulfilled. As the senior royals age and health issues arise, the need for a broader base of working royals becomes increasingly apparent. Whether Charles will reconsider his stance on involving more family members in royal duties remains to be seen, but the current crisis may prompt a reevaluation of the royal family’s future structure and responsibilities.
Source: The Daily Beast
