Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips was born to Anne, Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips on 15 May 1981 at St Mary’s Hospital in London. She is the younger of their two children and only daughter. Her older brother, Peter Phillips was born on 15 November 1977. She also has two younger half-sisters, Felicity Tonkin and Stephanie Phillips through her father.
Her uncle, The Prince of Wales, was the one to suggest Zara as her first name. At the time of her birth, she was sixth-in-line to the throne, and like her brother Peter, Zara does not hold any royal title due to their parents declining titles when they married in 1973.
Zara has admitted that this was a blessing and told The Sunday Times in 2015, “I’ve been very lucky. My parents didn’t give us titles, so we’ve been able to have a slightly more normal upbringing. As soon as you’ve got a title, it’s very difficult to shed it. My brother and I have been very lucky like that, being able to find our own way in life really and just get on with it.”
Her Majesty and Prince Philip’s eldest granddaughter was christened on 27 July 1981 with Prince Andrew, her maternal uncle; Countess of Lichfield, one of Princess Anne’s extra ladies-in-waiting; Andrew Parker Bowles, friend of the Royal Family and the ex-husband of the Duchess of Cornwall; Helen, Lady Stewart; and Hugh Thomas.
Zara attended Beaudesert Park School in Stroud, Gloucestershire. She also attended Port Regis School before moving on to Gordonstoun School in Scotland like other members of her family before her. She was known to be successful in both academics and athletics. She scored 11 GCSEs from A to C, as well as making a B and C in her A-levels. On the athletic side, she was known to represent her schools in sports like hockey and gymnastics. For her university education, she attended the Exeter University where she became qualified as a physiotherapist.
Bear Grylls, Zara Phillips and Sir Ben Ainslie pose during the launch of Land Rover’s ‘New Discovery’ at Packington Hall on September 27, 2016, in Solihull, England. Land Rover revealed their brand new Discovery with the help of ambassadors Zara Phillips, Bear Grylls and Sir Ben Ainslie against the backdrop of the replica of London’s Tower Bridge, made entirely from Lego. Photo: Land Rover MENA- Getty Images for Land Rover (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
It has been reported that she brings in around £1 million a year through her deals with Land Rover, Rolex, and her jewellery line. In 2015, she collaborated with Australian designer John Calleija on the Zara Phillips Collection. She has previously worked for the Xinex Corporation as a director before resigning from the position in August 2016.
Zara followed in the footsteps of both her parents with her love of horse riding. She has become an accomplished equestrian and represented Great Britain in 2012 London Olympic Games, where she won a silver medal. She also represented her country at the World and European Championships, where she won gold and silver medals. Princess Anne’s only daughter designed her own range of equestrian clothing in 2009 for Musto Outdoor Clothing, which hit stores in July 2010.
Zara using the Olympic torch to light the cauldron in 2012. Photo: HereStanding (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr
Her cousin, Prince Harry, introduced her to a rugby player by the name of Mike Tindall in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Sydney, Australia, at the Manly Wharf bar. On 21 December 2010, Buckingham Palace announced that Zara and Mike were to marry the next year, and on 30 July 2011, they married at the Canongate Kirk in Scotland.
On 8 July 2013, Buckingham Palace announced that Zara was expecting their first child. Their daughter, Mia Grace Tindall was born on 17 January 2014. Mia was christened 30 November 2014 at St Nicholas Church. The Tindalls irked some in 2014 by posing for Hello! Magazine when Mia was just five weeks old for a rumoured sum of £150,000. On 30 November 2016, Zara and Mike announced that Zara was pregnant with their second child due to be born in the late spring in 2017. The family lives in Gloucestershire on the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe Park country estate.
She is godmother to her cousin, Prince George of Cambridge, who was born 22 July 2013. He was christened on 23 October of that year in Chapel Royal at St James’s Palace.
Zara is a member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire, and she is the patron of The Catwalk Trust which works to raise money for spinal cord injury research. At the moment, she is 16th-in-line to succeed her grandmother, The Queen on the throne.