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Accident-prone Sophie Wessex's painful injury on action-packed holiday

Countess Sophie is incredibly sporty

sophie wessex skiing
Melanie Macleod
Wellness Editor
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The Countess of Wessex, 57, is likely excited for the approaching winter months, as it means she can get back to her favourite hobby – skiing!

READ: Sophie Wessex's nasty accident almost made her miss crucial royal event

Prince Edward and his wife regularly take to the slopes in St. Moritz, and while both the couple and their children, Lady Louise Windsor, 18, and James, Viscount Severn, 14, are accomplished skiers, Sophie has suffered several mishaps on the slopes.

WATCH: The Countess of Wessex: Everything you need to know about Sophie

The royal first took a tumble way back in 2000, when she was 35 years old. At the time she was working at the public relations firm she founded, and was photographed returning to work on crutches following a nasty fall.

SEE: Sophie Wessex's touching nod to the Queen that you might have missed

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In 2004, the then 39-year-old returned to the UK on crutches once more after pulling a muscle in her right leg while skiing.

The exact details of Sophie's accident are not known, but it was reported that visibility was poor when she got hurt. The mother-of-two declined the offer of a stretcher, insisting that she could make her own way to a doctor.

sophie wessex crutches© Photo: Getty Images

Sophie Wessex hobbling on crutches

"The Countess pulled a calf muscle but it is not serious," revealed her spokeswoman. "She was checked out by a doctor and discharged after 20 minutes. Fortunately, nothing was broken."

READ: Countess Sophie's heartache over daughter Lady Louise Windsor's big decision

Sophie was not so lucky in 2011 when she suffered an injury just days before Prince William and Princess Kate's wedding, while hacking on her horse in Windsor Great Park.

sophie skiing© Photo: Getty Images

Sophie Wessex is a keen skiier

The royal, who was 46 at the time, was taken to hospital following the accident. Prince Edward's wife had an X-ray at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, which revealed she had broken a rib and badly bruised several others.

Sophie was sent home with painkillers to ease the discomfort – broken ribs tend to be left to heal on their own, as there's not much that can be done to splint or support them.

Ever the trooper, Sophie still attended the Prince and Princess of Wales' pre-wedding dinner, and the ceremony itself, which saw her daughter, Lady Louise Windsor, who was seven at the time, act as bridesmaid.

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