The heir to the throne of the Netherlands has broken her upper arm after falling from her horse, the Dutch royal palace announced on Tuesday. Princess Catharina-Amalia was taken to hospital following the incident, and she is scheduled to undergo surgery.
The statement from the Dutch royal palace read: “The Princess of Orange broke her upper arm today after falling from her horse. She will undergo surgery at the UMC Utrecht. More information will follow as soon as it becomes clear what the possible consequences are for official obligations and other agreements.” It is reported the Princess’s mother, Queen Maxima, left an engagement with the MIND Us Foundation at the Noordeinde Palace in The Hague early after hearing she about the incident.
This is believed to have been the first time Princess Catharina-Amalia has suffered a serious injury from her hobby of horse riding.
Princess Catharina-Amalia is currently studying for her degree in Politics, Psychology, Law and Economics at the University of Amsterdam, but she will one day be Queen of the Netherlands.
The royal recently stepped out to celebrate King’s Day to mark her father King Willem-Alexander’s birthday in April, along with one of her younger sisters, Princess Alexia.
Born on December 7, 2003, she is the eldest of three daughters to King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima. The Dutch royal household states on its website the royal’s pastimes are horse riding, tennis and singing.
On her 18th birthday, the Princess of Orange automatically became a member of the Council of State and its Advisory Division.
The royal household has indicated that the full impact of today’s accident on the princess’s official diary remains to be determined.
Further updates regarding her condition and any adjustments to her scheduled appearances are expected to be released as more information becomes available following the surgery at UMC Utrecht.
Queen Maxima and King Willem-Alexander’s schedules have for now remained unchanged for next week, with Maxima due to give the opening speech at the Global Summit of the Consumer Goods Forum (CGF) and later attend a CGAP conference on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, King Willem-Alexander is expected to open the Dr. HP Heineken Centre and then open the Holland Festival with his wife.
