How old is Zara Tindall and how did she meet her husband Mike?

0
302

ZARA Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall are preparing to add to their growing brood of children.

Ex-England rugby star Mike has announced that Zara is pregnant with their third child, with the sporting couple already parents to two young daughters.

Zara Tindall and her husband Mike

 

Who is Zara Tindall?

She was born Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips in London on May 15, 1981, to mother Anne, Princess Royal and father Captain Mark Phillips.

Zara, 39, has an older brother, Peter Phillips, and two half-sisters – Felicity, born to her father by a brief affair he had in 1985, and Stephanie Phillips from her father’s second marriage.

Her first cousins are Princes William and Harry and she is godmother to William’s son Prince George.

As a child of the Princess Royal, Zara does not hold any royal title despite being a monarch because she was the child of a daughter.

Zara is an accomplished equestrian

Zara was educated at Beaudesert Park School in Stroud, Gloucestershire, Port Regis School in Dorset and then at Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.

She qualified as a physiotherapist at Exeter University.

Zara is also an accomplished equestrian and and Olympic silver medallist.

 

How did Zara meet Mike Tindall?

The pair met during England’s Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003.

They were introduced to each other in a bar in Sydney by Zara’s cousin Prince Harry.

In 2010, they announced their engagement and married on July 30 2011.

Their first child, daughter Mia, was born in January 2014.

As required by the Royal Marriages Act 1772 – which has since been repealed – the Queen gave her consent to their marriage in a meeting of the Privy Council on 10 May 2011.

They live together at their home in Gloucestershire.

Zara and Mike married in July 2011...

Zara and Mike married in July 2011

 

How many children does Zara Tindall have?

In December 2020, Mike announced that Zara was pregnant with their third child on podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.

He said: “It’s been a good week for me, had a little scan last week – third Tindall on its way.

“I’d like a boy this time, I’ve got two girls, I would like a boy.

“I’ll love it whether a boy or a girl – but please be a boy.”

The couple are already parents to two children – Mia Grace, 6, and Lena Elizabeth, 2.

In January 2018, Zara announced that she was pregnant with her second child – and she and Mike were delighted by the news, with Lena Elizabeth born in June of that year.

The name is thought to be a touching tribute to Zara’s grandmother Queen Elizabeth.

The couple have previously spoken about their torment at suffering two miscarriages following the birth of Mia.

Zara was the first member of the royal family to speak openly about miscarriage, when she revealed in 2016 her second pregnancy had ended in miscarriage.

When she lost the second baby, the couple could mourn in private

Is Zara Phillips an Olympian?

Like both her parents, Zara is an accomplished equestrian and won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics, which was awarded to her by her mother.

She was selected to compete for the British Team at the FEI Nations Cup in Paris in August 2020.

She also has her own range of equestrian clothing for Musto Outdoor Clothing called ZP176 after the team number she was given when she first represented the UK, and she launched it in July 2010.

The mum-of-two supports many charitable causes and is patron of The Catwalk Trust which raise funds to support spinal cord injury research.

She also appears at events for The Caudwell Charitable Trust, which is targeted at children with special needs, disabilities and serious illnesses and took part in an Equestrian Relief initiative to raise money to support the NHS in 2020.

 

Who is her mum, Princess Anne?

The Queen had four children herself; Prince Charles, Princess Anne, Prince Andrew and Prince Edward.

She was born Anne Elizabeth Alice Louise on August 15, 1950 and has the title Princess Royal.

She married Captain MArk Phillips in 1973 but they divorced in 1992.

Anne married a second time in 1992 to Timothy Laurence.

Princess Anne had Zara Tindall, née Phillips, and Peter Phillips with Mark Phillips.

Anne is known for being the busiest member of the Royal Family in regards to official engagements.

In 2017, she made 455 appearances at events, dinners and receptions around the UK, and did 85 engagements overseas.