Princess Anne will not be making a return to royal duties "for the foreseeable future" after being discharged from hospital, it has been claimed.
The Princess Royal was dismissed from the Southmead Hospital in Bristol after a five-night stay, to be treated for "minor injuries and concussion".
Speaking to GB News, former BBC Royal Correspondent Michael Cole revealed that Anne "chose not to be pictured" as she left the hospital with her husband Vice Admiral Sir Tim Laurence.
After suffering injuries "consistent with being kicked or head-butted by a horse" on Sunday evening, Cole affirmed that recovering from a concussion is "no minor matter".
Princess Anne 'chose to not be pictured leaving hospital', Michael Cole has claimed
GB News / Getty
Cole explained: "This is why she had the five-night stay at Southmead Trauma Centre in Bristol. The Princess chose not to be pictured as she left hospital.
"Her husband, Vice Admiral Sir Timothy Laurence, issued a very fulsome praise for the staff and gave a thank you to them at the hospital."
Revealing when the Princess may be returning to her engagements after having to postpone some recently due to the incident, Cole revealed that she will not be back in work until "the foreseeable future".
Cole told GB News: "What is known is that the princess will not be returning to royal duties, which she is a very keen pursuer of such, for the foreseeable future.
Princess Anne suffered 'minor injuries and concussion' after a horse-related accident on Sunday evening
Getty
"She was supposed to be going to Canada this weekend. This week she was supposed to have been in Scotland, but obviously she's not going to do any of that until the doctors sign her off and say that she's back fit and ready to discharge her duties."
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Praising Princess Anne's work ethic, Cole reassured that the King's sister is the "hardest working royal" out of the senior monarchy, and not carrying out duties will be "the last thing she wants to do".
Cole added: "All we can do is wish her well, and I'm sure she'll have her family around her telling her to take it easy.
"But knowing her, that's the last thing she wants to do."
When asked by host Tom Harwood how the Royal Family will cope without two working royals and the King continuing more stripped-back engagements, Cole recalled how Princess Anne "predicted" the strain it may cause.
Michael Cole says Princess Anne is 'the hardest working royal'
GB News
Cole noted: "Who foresaw this? Nobody other than the Princess Royal, because before the coronation, she did a lengthy interview with CBC. And she called in question, quite robustly, her brother's statement that he wanted a slimmed-down monarchy.
"She said 'how are we going to do it? There's not enough of us anyway'. She was referencing the fact that Queen had died, Prince Philip had died, the Duke and Duchess of Sussex were off in California, and then Prince Andrew."
In further praise of the Princess, Cole concluded: "She's top of the royal pops. She does more engagements than anybody and that includes the King. And she's immensely popular because of that.
"She's very much her father's daughter, she's robust in her speech and everything she does. But people like that, they they warm to it. And she recognises that four letter word duty and has always discharged her own."
