Zara Tindall turns 42 on 15 May. 20th in line to the throne, and the eldest granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth II, Zara is an accomplished equestrian who missed the Badminton Horse trials, at which she is a regular competitor, for her uncle King Charles III’s Coronation last weeked. Here, Tatler gives you the rundown of everything you need to know about the stylish, horse-obsessed royal.
Zara Tindall, Princess Anne’s Olympian daughter, has followed in her mother and grandmother’s footsteps as an accomplished equestrian
Born on 15 May 1981 in London, Zara Anne Elizabeth Tindall (née Phillips) is the youngest child of Princess Anne and her then-husband, Captain Mark Philips. Her brother, Peter, is four years her senior. The name Zara, which means ‘bright as dawn’ or ‘radiant’ in Greek, was reportedly suggested by her uncle, now King Charles III. Zara’s christening took place at Windsor castle in July 1981, and her godparents include the Duke of York, the Countess of Lichfield and Andrew Parker-Bowles.
After a few years at Port Regis school in Dorset, Zara embarked upon the well-trodden path up to Gordonstoun school. Following in the footsteps of other members of the Royal Family, including Prince Philip and King Charles, she was the second female royal to attend the school (the first being Lady Helen Taylor, née Windsor, daughter of the Duke and Duchess of Kent).
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Growing up, Zara was ‘sports-mad’ and represented the school as part of hockey, gymnastics and athletics teams. After her A-Levels at Gordonstoun, Zara took a gap year, spending three months travelling around Australia and New Zealand before coming back to take a course in equestrian massage. She secured a place on Exeter’s physiotherapy course the following year, where she specialised in equine physiotherapy.
The elegant Coronation horses are entrusted with an important role in one of the day’s most magical moments
Following her graduation, she pursued an equestrian career, competing in multiple competitions including the Burghley horse trials in 2003 (where she was a runner up) and winning the Eventing World Championship in Aachen in 2006. The same year, she was voted BBC sports personality of the year (which Princess Anne won in 1971) and in 2007 she was appointed an MBE for her services to equestrianism. In 2012, she won a silver medal as part of the Great Britain equestrian team at the London Olympics, which she was presented with by her mother.
Zara met her husband, Mike Tindall, in Sydney in 2003 when he was playing for the England rugby team in their Rugby World Cup-winning campaign. In December 2010, Buckingham Palace announced their engagement and the two married on 30 July 2011, at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, just three months after Zara’s cousin Prince William's royal wedding to the then Kate Middleton. They live at Gatcombe Park, in Gloucestershire, and have three children together: Mia,9, Lena, 4, and Lucas, 2.
