Princess Anne‘s daughter Zara Tindall was a breath of fresh air as she joined her for a rare royal engagement last week in London – but not before stopping to munch on a biscuit.
Last week, the former Olympian, 44, was photographed leaving Horse Guards with Anne, 75, for the annual World Horse Welfare conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London.
Whether it was due to Zara or not, the Princess Royal appeared ebullient as she shook hands with aides, as royal watchers noted that Zara brings out a side to Anne that we don’t often see.
Fans were ‘delighted’ to see the pair together, after a clip of them leaving for the event was shared on X/Twitter.
Social media users praised Zara for her ‘down-to-earth’ attitude after they noticed the mother-of-three dash out of Horse Guards with a snack for the road.
‘Zara with the biscuit to go!’ one fan wrote.
Another noted: ‘Zara Tindall is her mother’s daughter through and through.’
Zara’s rare royal outing went down a treat, according to the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor, Richard Eden, who added: ‘Personally, I would like to see Zara taking on more public duties in the future.’
Princess Anne’s daughter Zara Tindall was a breath of fresh air as she joined her for a rare royal engagement last week in London – but not before stopping to munch on a biscuit
Whether it was due to Zara or not, the Princess Royal appeared ebullient as she shook hands with aides, as royal watchers noted that Zara brings out a side to Anne that we don’t often see
Noting how the Princess Royal supported the late Queen Elizabeth II during public engagements, Mr Eden felt Zara and Anne’s relationship had evolved similarly over the years.
He also explained how Zara, who has previously praised her family’s work ethic, could be a ‘huge help’ to Prince William when he ascends the throne.
‘Look at the way that Queen Elizabeth was supported so well by her own cousins, such as the Duke of Kent, who is still working at the age of 90,’ he added.
Although Zara rarely undertakes royal engagements, society bible Tatler noted that her ‘impact’ at these events is ‘on par’ with some of the Firm’s most senior members when she does.
This was certainly the case when she urged fellow equestrians to see the world ‘through the horse’s eyes’ while addressing the welfare conference in London on November 21.
Zara, who is a patron of the World Horse Welfare charity, also noted that equine transportation has become ‘more stressful’ post-Brexit as she added ‘our travel time for horses and their welfare has definitely gone downhill’.
‘I know people are doing it less and less now because it’s such hard work. It’s more stressful on the horses than it used to be. It’s got worse,’ the Olympic silver medallist shared her own experiences of bringing her horse abroad.
Days after she attended the conference with her mother, Zara stepped out again – but this time, to support her cousin Prince William at the 2025 Tusk Conservation Awards.
Although Zara rarely undertakes royal engagements, society bible Tatler noted that her ‘impact’ at these events is ‘on par’ with some of the Firm’s most senior members when she does
Days after she attended the conference with her mother, Zara stepped out again – but this time, to support her cousin Prince William at the 2025 Tusk Conservation Awards
Conservation charity Tusk is one of Prince William’s most significant patronages and the future King handed out several awards, including the eponymous Prince William Award for Conservation in Africa, at the award ceremony in London last week.
At one point, Zara – who attended the event with her husband Mike – appeared emotional when her cousin brother paid tribute to wildlife rangers who ‘tragically made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty’.
A photo of Zara in the audience showed her listening intently, as it appeared she was visibly moved by the future King’s passion for the charity he has supported since 2005.
As commentators and fans alike will be hoping to see more of Zara at public events for the Firm, the mother-of-three has previously said she feels ‘lucky’ she wasn’t given a royal title at birth.
Speaking to former rugby player Rob Burrow on his Total Sport podcast two years ago, Zara reflected on her and brother Peter’s role in the Institution in a candid chat.
‘From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn’t give us any titles so I really commend her on that,’ Zara said.
‘We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.’
She praised her family for their ‘great work ethic’ that was also instilled in her and ‘is still going to this day’.
As commentators and fans alike will be hoping to see more of Zara at public events for the Firm, the mother-of-three has previously said she feels ‘lucky’ she wasn’t given a royal title at birth
‘Hopefully, we can pass it onto our kids,’ Zara continued. ‘Now, my brother and my cousins love to go back and do the same things, and I hope that our children have the same experiences that we did when we were growing up.
‘You don’t really appreciate that until you’re older and you’ve got kids.’
When Princess Anne welcomed her son Peter in 1977, she decided with her then-husband Mark Philips that they didn’t want to give their children the HRH titles they were entitled to in a bid to give them as normal an upbringing as possible.
Listeners of Total Sport also learned the cheeky nickname Mike has for Prince William, when he revealed he calls the 43-year-old ‘One Pint Willy’ during the episode.
‘He is known to me as One Pint Willy because he is not the best of drinkers, coming from a sport where it is built on the social aspect and a couple of beers being sunk quite often. That is one I will give away for the Prince of Wales,’ the former rugby player said.
Zara can be heard laughing before saying: ‘Oh my god. You are in so much trouble.’
It comes after Zara and Mike recently announced they were heading to the Magic Millions Carnival on the Gold Coast in Brisbane, Australia, in the New Year.
Speaking to the Daily Mail at the Beauty Awards in London last week, Zara confirmed they will be spending Christmas at Sandringham with King Charles and the rest of the Royal Family.
