Princess Anne Had the Wittiest Response to Being Asked How Many Ponies She Owns

She made the hilarious revelation while visiting the South African Riding for the Disabled Association.

Princess Anne riding ponies and horses
(Image credit: Getty Images/Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty Images)

Princess Anne is currently on a solo visit to South Africa, and she's wasting no time whatsoever. During a visit to meet young horseback riders in Cape Town, Anne made a funny revelation about her own collection of horses.

It was previously revealed that Anne's husband, Sir Timothy Laurence, wasn't able to participate in the trip after sustaining an injury. Laurence was reportedly "injured while working on [Anne's] Gatcombe estate," and has a "suspected torn ligament," per Hello! magazine. Despite the sudden change of plans, Princess Anne seemed to be in great spirits as visited the South African Riding for the Disabled Association.

An 11-year-old called Lashwil, who was presented with a rosette by the royal, had the chance to ask Princess Anne, "How many ponies do you have?" According to Hello! magazine, Anne quickly responded, "More then I should have...one I do ride."

Princess Anne At Badminton Horse Trials

Princess Anne revealed she has more ponies than she should have.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

Princess Anne, of course, has had an impressive career as an equestrian. She was the very first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympics, entering the 1976 Games in Montreal.

Last summer, Princess Anne was hospitalized following a horse-related accident. Although she made a full recovery, Anne did suffer some short-term memory loss and was forced to cancel several official royal engagements. As reported by People, Princess Anne "canceled some upcoming planned outings to Scotland and Norfolk, England, next week following medical advice to take a more measured approach to her return to full-time work."

Badminton Horse Trials

Princess Anne has been a lifelong fan of horses.

(Image credit: Getty Images)

At the time, Buckingham Palace released a statement regarding the Princess Royal's accident, saying, "Her Royal Highness remains in Southmead Hospital, Bristol, as a precautionary measure for observation and is expected to make a full and swift recovery...The King has been kept closely informed and joins the whole Royal Family in sending his fondest love and well-wishes to the princess for a speedy recovery."

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Amy Mackelden
Contributing Editor

Amy Mackelden is a contributing editor at Marie Claire, where she covers celebrity and royal family news. She was the weekend editor at Harper’s BAZAAR for three years, where she covered breaking celebrity and entertainment news, royal stories, fashion, beauty, and politics. Prior to that, she spent a year as the joint weekend editor for Marie Claire, ELLE, and Harper's BAZAAR, and two years as an entertainment writer at Bustle. Her additional bylines include Cosmopolitan, People, The Independent, HelloGiggles, Biography, Shondaland, Best Products, New Statesman, Heat, and The Guardian. Her work has been syndicated by publications including Town & Country, Good Housekeeping, Esquire, Delish, Oprah Daily, Country Living, and Women's Health. Her celebrity interviews include Jennifer Aniston, Jessica Chastain, the cast of Selling Sunset, Emma Thompson, Jessica Alba, and Penn Badgley. In 2015, she delivered an academic paper at Kimposium, the world's first Kardashian conference.