Zara Tindall says she’s ‘lucky’ her parents chose not to give her a royal title
MANY girls dream of being a princess, but Zara Tindall is relieved that her mum decided that she wouldn’t be one.
Princess Anne turned down the Queen’s offer of giving Zara a royal title after she was born, and equestrian-loving Zara said she feels “lucky” the decision was made.
Neither of Princess Anne’s children, Zara and older brother Peter, were entitled to royal status through birth, as typically titles are given to a monarch’s grandkids though sons.
However, keen for her only daughter’s children to not miss out, the Queen extended the honour to Princess Anne’s offspring too.
However, the invitation was turned down, following in the footsteps of Zara and Peter’s dad Captain Mike Phillips refusing a title as a wedding gift.
Zara told The Times in 2015: “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.”
The lack of royal title has certainly not held Zara back in life – and the talented horse-lover won a silver medal at the London 2012 Olympics in the GB Eventing Team.
It has also meant she has been free of the family’s formal obligations.
Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter said: “It was a masterstroke of the Princess Royal when she decided not to give her children titles.
“Growing up as a commoner allowed Zara to thrive as her own woman, and there has never been pressure on her to conform. She has benefited from it in all sorts of ways.”
She doesn’t receive money from the Civil List, unlike her cousins Prince William and Prince Harry, and instead has to earn a living.
Part of her money has come from lending her name to a number of brands, including Land Rover and Rolex, and she has co-designed her own outdoor clothing range.
Zara credits her strong work ethic with her famous mum and dad, and said: “I probably get it from my parents.
“Papa said to me, ‘If you want to get to the top you’ve got to do it properly, and if you want to stay at the top it’s even harder.’ ”
Zara married former rugby union player Mike Tindall in July 2011, and the couple have two daughters, Mia Grace, five, and Lena Elizabeth, one.
The wedding was a fairly modest affair, but took place in front of 400 guests and a bagpipe band.
Growing up, Prince Harry and Prince William were extremely close to their cousin Zara, who is the Queen's eldest granddaughter.
Growing up as a commoner allowed Zara to thrive as her own woman, and there has never been pressure on her to conform. She has benefited from it in all sorts of ways.
Former Buckingham Palace press secretary Dickie Arbiter
According to Charles: The Misunderstood Prince by Sally Bedell Smith, as young kids they would spend their time together playing “outdoors on the hills and by the rivers and lakes”.
They would also have “barbecues and picnics” and even rode quad-bikes.
They remain so tight-knit that Zara was even named a godparent to Prince William and Kate Middleton’s first child, Prince George.
But it hasn’t all been plain-sailing.
Zara hit headlines back in 1998 when she got her tongue pierced, but insists that she wasn’t as “wild” as she was portrayed.
She said: “I don’t know if I was that wild. I guess it looked like that because of my family background. I’m sure that is what it’s probably compared to.”
MOST READ IN FABULOUS
This is why the Queen is fonder of Zara and Mike Tindall than Kate Middleton and Prince William (even though she did smack Zara when she was a naughty child).
And we shared how Zara got in the driving seat on Top Gear as she competed against husband Mike.