Everyone has a favorite member of the royal family, and if yours happens to be Zara Tindall (née Phillips), we're right there with you.
The Queen's second grandchild (and first granddaughter) is known for her unbelievable style. She's also known for her unique name, one that set the stage for future unconventional monikers in the royal family (we're looking at you, Beatrice and Eugenie).
Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips was born on May 15, 1981 to Princess Anne (the Queen's only daughter) and Mark Phillips, an Olympian. Although, interestingly enough, it wasn't her parents who gave her such a special name, it was Princess Anne's brother, Prince Charles. "The baby made a rather sudden and positive arrival," Princess Anne reportedly said, "And my brother thought Zara was an appropriate name."
Zara
The name Zara has quite a few meanings. It could mean "princess," "seed," or "flower," which would make sense considering she's part of the royal family. But it was apparently the Greek meaning of the name that stuck with Prince Charles. According to Hello! (quoting Princess Anne), the name means "bright as the dawn." Although we weren't able to confirm that meaning, the name Zara apparently does have French origins meaning "light," which would better explain the connection with her arrival (i.e. the speed of light).
Anne
It doesn't take much to guess where her first middle name came from: Her mother Princess Anne, of course.
Elizabeth
Another name honoring a close relative. Princess Anne picked this name after her mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The Queen was named after her own mother, a.k.a. the Queen Mother. Princess Beatrice would also go on to receive Elizabeth as one of her middle names, as would the Queen's great-granddaughters Louise, Isla, and Charlotte.
No royal title
According to Royal Central, in 1971, King George V created a patent that only "children of the monarch male-line grandchildren and the son of the son of the Prince Of Wales automatically carry the title Prince or Princess and the style ‘HRH.'" Since Zara and her brother are through the female line, the they do not receive a "His/Her Royal Highness" rank. Of course, Queen Elizabeth did extend the offer to make an exception for her only daughter's children, but Princess Anne declined.
But don't feel too sorry for them — Zara stated that she is very lucky to be without a title. "I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do,” she told The Times.
The next generation
In true Zara fashion, she gave her own daughter a unique name: Mia Grace Tindall.
Zara is currently pregnant with her second child with her husband Mike Tindall. While we do not know the gender of the baby yet, we can only assume the name will be quirky and fabulous.
