Montreal 1976 was historic.
As Nadia Comaneci recorded the first-ever perfect 10, HRH The Princess Royal became the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympic Games.
Half a century on, Princess Anne is still heavily involved in the Olympics, as the long-standing President of the British Olympic Association (BOA) and a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
And it was on the luscious greenery of Quebec that her Olympic journey first began.
Her Royal Highness, 75, has always been a keen equestrian.
She won an individual gold medal at the 1971 Burghley Three-Day Event and silver in both the individual and team disciplines at Luhmuhlen four years later.
But Montreal 1976 was the most prestigious event of her equestrian career.
The Princess was 25 years old when she rode The Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the three-day equestrian event in Montreal.
After training with the British team in Windsor, Princess Anne travelled across the Atlantic to prepare for her Olympic debut.
With her mother Queen Elizabeth II and several members of the Royal Family watching on, the Princess competed in showjumping, cross country and dressage.
Though she did not medal, her Olympics featured a particularly dramatic moment when she fell during the cross-country section of the competition.
While attempting a jump, Goodwill got stuck in the mud, causing Her Royal Highness to tumble to the ground.
Though she remounted her horse and finished the course, it was later revealed that the Princess had suffered a concussion due to the accident.
At a recent reunion marking 50 years since Montreal 1976, Princess Anne admitted she subsequently could not remember the cross-country action.
“I had a slight problem in that the bit I would like to remember, which is the cross country, I don’t,” she said.
“But every now and again I see it and think ‘oh ok’. I suspect Goodwill remembers it, but I don’t.”
Despite the fall, Her Royal Highness remains an ardent equestrian fan – and it is a passion she passed on to her daughter, Zara Phillips.
Princess Anne provided one of the enduring images of the London 2012 Olympics when she presented Phillips with her silver team eventing medal.
And her close ties with Team GB continued at Rio 2016, when Her Royal Highness travelled to Brazil to support the team.
The Princess Royal sent an emotional message to Team GB athletes ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, using her own experiences to empathise with the athletes.
“I do remember from my own Olympic journey the anticipation and excitement of stepping onto the Olympic stage,” she said. “But also the single-minded focus on what you need to do.”
In her role as BOA President, Her Royal Highness also visited the Paris 2024 Olympic village to deliver an address.
Her long-lasting relationship with Team GB and the Olympics began 50 years ago, at Montreal 1976.
Sportsbeat 2026
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.teamgb.com ’
