Princess Anne is on a two-day visit to South Africa, but she is making the trip alone and without her husband, Vice-Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, by her side.
According to Hello!Sir Tim had to pull out of the royal tour “at the last minute” as he recovers from a suspected ligament tear. He was injured while working on their estate, Gatcombe Park, the paper reported, and needs treatment in the UK. This is why he cannot fly to South Africa.
Sir Tim’s injury came less than a year after Princess Anne’s injury at their estate. In June, the Princess Royal, 74 – a lifelong equestrian – suffered a concussion and spent five days in hospital after suffering concussion and minor injuries in an incident at Gatcombe Park. Anne’s injuries were consistent with a potential blow to the horse’s head or legs.
Princess Anne, Princess Royal accompanied by Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence speaks to guests as they attend the Not Forgotten Association’s annual garden party at Buckingham Palace on May 17, 2024 in London, England.
Victoria Jones-WPA Pool/Getty
Princess Anne hospitalized with concussion after ‘incident’ at her country house
Sir Tim, who has been married to Princess Anne since 1992, issued a statement after the royal left hospital, saying: “I would like to extend my warmest thanks to the entire team at Southmead Hospital for their care, expertise and kindness during my wife’s short stay.”
Princess Anne’s husband shares update amid her hospitalization after horse ‘incident’: ‘Recovering slowly’
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Princess Anne, The Princess Royal and Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence watch the Royal Air Force Centenary flypast from the balcony of Buckingham Palace on July 10, 2018 in London, England. Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty
After returning to work on July 12, Princess Anne said of the June 23 incident: “I can’t remember anything about it.”
Princess Anne is in South Africa on January 21 and 22, and began her visit on Tuesday with a visit to South African Riding for the Disabled, which provides free equine therapy, sports and training to the most vulnerable in society, according to the palace. Later on January 21, Anne will visit the residence garden of the British High Commission, where she will plant a Princess Anne rose in the garden of the residence to symbolize the visit.
Later in the two-day trip, the Princess Royal will unveil the Cape Town Labor Corps Memorial, a new memorial to the more than 1,700 predominantly black South Africans who served in the First World War for whom there are no known graves. The busy princess — long considered the most valuable member of the royal family — will also visit the Desmond and Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation, the Royal Cape Yacht Club, the South African Astronomical Observatory, the Thuthuzela Care Center and attend a reception at the British High Commissioner’s Residence in Cape Town.
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The Princess Royal is presented with flowers during a visit to the South African Riding School for the Disabled (SARDA) while on a two-day trip to South Africa on January 21, 2025.
Aaron Chown/PA Images via Getty
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Princess Anne’s visit to South Africa — her first since 2012, when she visited to mark her mother Queen Elizabeth’s Diamond Jubilee — comes two months after her nephew Prince William brought the fourth iteration of his Earthshot Prize to Cape Town in November.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education