Princess Anne 'recovering slowly' after horse accident—husband

King Charles III's sister Princess Anne is "recovering slowly" in hospital, her husband said Wednesday, June 26 after she suffered a concussion in an incident with a horse at her country estate.

"She'll be out when she's ready," Tim Laurence also told reporters outside Southmead Hospital in Bristol, western England, where Anne was taken on Sunday, June 23.

Anne, 73, suffered concussion and minor head injuries at Gatcombe Park on Sunday evening and was airlifted to hospital. 

It is believed she was struck by a horse as she was walking within the protected perimeter of the sprawling estate, which hosts equestrian events.

The princess's medical team said her injuries are consistent with a potential impact from a horse's head or legs.

British media reported Wednesday that Anne's concussion meant the precise details of what happened are not clear. 

The Princess Royal, as she is also known, is a skilled horsewoman who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics, and has a reputation as the hardest-working royal.

She has stepped in to represent King Charles while he postponed public engagements during his cancer treatment, and rode at his official birthday parade this month.

But the accident forced her to withdraw from an appearance at a state banquet on Tuesday evening for visiting Japanese Emperor Naruhito, and cancel an upcoming trip to Canada.

Buckingham Palace said Anne was in hospital "as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery." (AFP)