Why new mum Zara Tindall is the royal who doesn’t give a toss about tradition
Zara Tindall is the royal that doesn’t give a titled toss about tradition – and wants to keep it that way.
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SHE’S the royal who doesn’t give a titled toss about tradition — and wants to keep it that way. That’s why Zara Tindall, who gave birth to her second daughter on Monday, is happy the baby, like her sister Mia and herself, won’t have a title, other than Queens of keeping it real.
Zara, 37, was the image of the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex last month, her discomfort obvious.
Splendidly eight-and-a-half months pregnant, the last place she wanted to plant her privileged bottom was on a hard wood pew for hours and the second last thing she wanted to do was listen to a loved-up preacher man making the most of his moment in the spotlight. Her expression was Oscar-worthy.
She’s the antithesis of other royals — and one of the most popular because of it. Married to ex-rugby star Mike Tindall, 39, a man renowned for his mangled (and lately fixed) nose, as well as a scandal involving a night out at a “dwarf-throwing competition” in a New Zealand bar in 2011.
Despite being a grandchild of The Queen, unlike her cousins Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie and Princes William and Harry, Zara and her brother Peter do not have royal titles. Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips refused to give them titles, preferring their children to have a normal life.
Zara Tindall gives birth to second child
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And Zara is grateful. “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.
Zara’s parents instilled a strong work ethic into their children. Princess Anne, for example, is famously diligent — she was the hardest-working royal of 2017, clocking up more engagements than William and Harry combined.
Zara is a talented equestrian — winning silver in the 2012 Olympics riding for Team GB and rakes in an estimated $1.8 million a year from business deals and sponsorships, such as ambassador for Queensland’s Magic Millions. Her brother Peter, manages her.
“I probably get it from my parents,” she said. “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’.”
Renowned for her sense of humour, Zara is always to be found larking about at events — and her cousins love her for it, William and Kate made her godparent to Prince George.
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Her larrikin attitude has passed down to daughter Mia, who is regularly snapped having a mega-tantrum or sticking out her tongue in public. For the Queen’s
90th birthday portrait she stood next to her great-granny, proudly holding HRH’s handbag.
Still, at least she hasn’t had her tongue pierced yet like her mum did, earning her the title of “wild child”.
“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,” Zara later said.
But compared to the rest of her family, Zara is positively feral. And it’s fabulous.
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FAR from a rural retreat, Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex’s country house is slap bang in the middle of Celebville.
The newly-married couple has rented a house in the Cotswolds — an area akin to Chelsea with cows — reportedly with plans to build their dream home in the region, too.
Not for them the peace and quiet of sedate Norfolk, like Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, for just like their wedding, Harry and Meghan are going for something a little more showbiz.
The Cotswolds, 120km northwest of London, is an area of chocolate-box cottages and bucolic villages made famous by Midsomer Murders. It’s a popular tourist destination and celebrity playground.
Harry and Meghan have selected a home near the village of Great Tew, where the private members’ club and hotel Soho Farm House is situated, the venue for Meghan’s hen party. Celebrity neighbours include David and Victoria Beckham, ex-British PM David Cameron and wife Samantha, Blur’s Alex James, Jeremy Clarkson, Jamie Dornan, Kate Moss, Hugh Grant, Patrick Stewart and Kate Winslet.
So if it’s peace and quiet they wanted, they are out of luck.
The highlight of the calendar is the Cornbury Festival — known as Poshstock — a village fete/music festival held on The Great Tew Estate and attended by the likes of Paul Simon, Robert Plant and Bryan Adams. Next month’s event is headlined by UB40 and Alanis Morissette.
Meghan fell in love with the area when she stayed at Soho Farm House — a country branch of the famous private members’ club, which is a hotel retreat consisting of luxury lakeside cabins, swimming pools, spa, restaurants and bar where the likes of Chris Martin are found lounging on sofas or being ferried about by milk floats. Cabins start at $625 per night.
Meghan has visited Soho House Farmhouse many times — with Harry and in 2016 with Made In Chelsea buddy Millie Mackintosh, when she posted a picture of the pair on bicycles at the hotel on her now-deleted Instagram account. Her March hen weekend with a secret guest list was organised by Soho House consultant Markus Anderson, a Toronto buddy who made Meghan an ambassador of the members’ club empire. In fact, it was in Soho House in London the couple had their first blind date and a subsequent one in the Toronto branch.
The Soho House empire is a favourite with celebrities who like to party behind the hard-to-get-into doors, where members abide by a policy of what goes on in the club, stays in the club.
And while Meghan may no longer be an ambassador of the brand, the Duchess — and now neighbour — has very much given it a royal seal of approval, meaning she’s likely to be spotted in the spa getting her Essie nail polish applied.