While Zara Phillips (or Zara Tindall, as she often goes by her married name) was never technically royalty, she is the daughter of the Princess Royal and granddaughter of the Queen. So there will always be interest in Zara no matter what. Plus, she’s an Olympian and a competitive equestrian, so she’s famous in her own right too. What I’m trying to say is that Zara is a celebrity and almost-royal (more almost-royal than Pippa Middleton) and Zara has never publicly complained about the attention she gets, or raising her daughter in the spotlight or any of that. Much like her mom, Zara just gets on with it and lives her life.
So these are some photos of Zara, her husband Mike Tindall, their daughter Mia and Zara’s cousin Prince William over the weekend. The Tindalls came out for William’s polo game in Gloucestershire. What’s interesting is that for all of William’s talk about “not raising his kids behind palace walls,” his kids did not come out for his polo match. Kate, Charlotte and George were not there. But Zara, Mike and Mia were there, so we got cute photos of Cousin Will behaving like an uncle, basically. Will and Zara are close in age and they’ve always been very close, like brother and sister. It would not surprise me at all if Mia called him “Uncle Will.”
As for why William’s immediate family didn’t show up… who knows? Kate’s not keen on horses, but the kids are keen. My guess is that Kate and the kids were probably staying with her parents this weekend. My guess – based on random internet gossip – is that Will and Kate are going through a period where they aren’t spending that much time together. Kate also traveled to London for a surprise visit to spend some time with the victims of the terrorist attack today. William went to Manchester last week solo, and the Queen went to Manchester just days after the attack.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
OK that last pic of Zara and Will is super cute!
So true. (Mia and Will though)
You’re right! I meant Mia and Will.
I saw photos last night where the kids were doing hand-stands for him. It was cute.
Such a cutie
There were some lovely pictures of Mia over the weekend. Zara and Mike seem to have developed a good way of dealing with the publicity they attract, in that they live their lives and don’t hide away. They seem to take it all in their stride. William looked very happy in their company and his interactions with Mia did not seem forced or awkward. He always looks happier when Kate isn’t around.
It’s also a pity that George and Charlotte aren’t pictured more in situations like this. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them looking as carefree as Mia.
To me he looks more engaged in these pics with Mia than he does in pics with his own kids.
Okay. I knew someone would compare
He does though and it’s noticeable. Maybe the problem is Kate and he would be more relaxed with the kids if she wasn’t around. Who knows, but of the few times he has been photographed with his kids, he does not look this relaxed or playful.
If Mia were to start acting up, though, all he has to do is hand her back to one of her parents. That’s pretty freeing. Not to mention it’s a more relaxed event.
Spot on! more comfortable than with carol middleton kids!
I agree, waity and carol are the problem. Bill is warned/maybe advised to be seen spending time with his RF again , as he did before the middletons.
And, waity carole rush to place the royal kids in pipa bridezella of PR. Now g and c are downgraded – for Prince Henry’s wedding. The fearless, fabulous Mia will do!
The photo of Mia on her dads shoulders is precious.
And this is what I call ‘normal’. I thought that Zara is royal. She is 16th in line to the throne.
She is but she isn’t. She’s the granddaughter of the Queen and daughter of the princess Royal, so she IS royal, but Princess Ann never wanted titles for her children, so by a technicality she’s NOT royal. But to me, she is. I mean, title or not, she just is.
and THAT’S why Princess Anne will always be the best princess! she knows better than anyone that this “royalty” shtick is a scam! LOL! 🙂
They are not royal, but they have a royal lineage. It’s splitting hairs, but it is a fine distinction.
Further, this idea that Anne refused titles for her kids is public wishthinking that ignores how titles work.
Titles are not passed down the female line therefore Anne couldn’t pass on any titles even if she had wanted to. She married a man who had no titles and therefore her children have no titles. Ditto Princess Alexandra and her title-less children.
The only reason Princess Margaret’s kids have titles is due to the fact that their father had a title. Granted it was one given as a wedding present from the Queen, but the point stands. Her kids were therefore given titles for the children of an Earl (his title) which Earldom has been inherited by their son.
On the rare occassion that a femalw holds a title or is able to pass one to her children, it’s by special order of monarch + parliament.
There are only a handful of women who have been granted this special favour and our current Queen is one of them. Without her father’s special order to grant titles to her children, they would have been styled the children of a duke (Philip’s title) and not the children of a monarch.
Finally, you are mistaken if you think Anne doesn’t care about these things. The whole kerfuffle about ‘Blood Princes’ taking precedence over in-laws like Diana, Camilla, Fergie, Sophie, Kate Middleton is down to her. She pressured the Queen to put all the blood princes above the inlaws. This means that whilst the inlaws take the status of the royal they married if said royal is present in a group gathering, their status drops below that of the blood Princes if the royal is absent. And are treated accordingly.
As she did with Princess Margaret’s husband, the Queen offered Zara’s father a title when he married Princess Anne but he declined.
Good to see Zara and Mike and Mia happy after Zara suffered a miscarriage last year (and pretty late in her pregnancy?). Mia is really cute.
Would have been nice if George & Charlotte had the opportunity to run and play with their cousins.
Zara and Mike need to have somewhat more of a public profile, though. She would have a nice trust fund, but they’re private citizens and need to make their own money, including through her sponsorships. Zara has always had a public profile.
Zara has a trust fund, perhaps not as sizeable as WH’s trusts, but she does. She also lives in a huge house on the Gatcombe Estate provided free by Anne. All secured by taxpayers.
Granted her chosen sport is a very expensive one that probably depleted / depletes her trust fund, but do not doubt that she has one.
I have always liked seeing Zara and Mike together. They look like a regular, normal couple and obviously have great chemistry.
IMO, this is the side of the family that MM needs to get on with (if she joins their set-up).
Peter and Autumn Phillips’ kids were there also (Zara’s nieces). So it was cousins galore. Mia seems like a spirited child. I really like Zara (who is royal by birth but does not have a title — and she doesn’t seem to care about that in the least). She seems to have a tight relationship with Will and Harry, so that is sweet.
Will is only interacting now (escape from carol waity middleton enablers) – since Prince Harry was pap doing so with Mia a few months ago; as he/The Wales are not able to spend time with g and c.
Looks like Tindall is really encouraging the rough and tumble very boisterous play….imagine what it will be like should they have a son.
I always liked Zara, and it’s nice that her family and William are close. I have a cousin who’s like a brother, and my kids call him Uncle.
Anne never wanted royal titles or roles for her kids, but I bet if granny asked Zara to show up at an event or take on a patronage, she would without complaining.
Zara *is* technically royalty, but Princess Anne didn’t want her children to have titles, so they didn’t get them. That doesn’t change the fact the she is the grand daughter of the Queen of England or the fact that she is the daughter of the Princess Royal. Had her mother allowed her a title, she’d be titled royalty. As it is now, she is still a royal, just with no title. She is still of the “blood royal.” That is my understanding anyway. Maybe I’m wrong…
Had her mum allowed her to be titled, she would, I think, outrank Kate Middleton, actually (correct me if I’m wrong).
There isn’t even any comparison between Zara being not a royal and Pippa being not a royal. Like not even in the same sport, forget ball park.
Nope. She is not *technically* royal. She has royal blood.
Further, titles are passed down the male line. Anne, being female can’t pass on any titles. Any children she has hold the titles and rank of her husband which in this case was someone withiut title which means her kids don’t have titles. Same scenerio with Princess Alexandra.
Only the monarch + parliament can grant titles and in the Queen’s case her own father had to write a special order to grant her kids titles even though she was the heir apparent and future monarch. As a female she couldn’t pass on titles and neither can Anne or Alexandra or Margaret.
Margaret married a man with a title (wedding present given by the Queen) which means her kids could be given titles that complimented his own ie the children of an Earl as opposed to the children of a princess.
Will should get his hair cut like Mike’s–bald looks so much better when it’s accepted!
Zara is royal no almost about it she just doesn’t have a title. It’s good to see Will look happy, relaxed and not stiff like he usually is. That picture of Will chasing Mia is so cute.
Will’s trousers though. They have been bugging me for some time.
These ones, like the ones he wore to the wedding are too short. They look a bit naff.
He needs to get one of his footmen to take them to the nearest Barnardo’s or Salvation Army so some other bloke who is shorter than him can enjoy them .
Whiny look stiff and phony as usual – he is pretending to be Prince Harry. And, running around playing with his young royal cousins – where are g and c?
Lazy waity could have remove herself from carole long enough to attend the polo with the kids – for once, allow G and c to play with their royal cousins. Unless the Philips children are not high enough in the Line for fake waity middleton (who seem unable to believe hospital medical staff face ‘unprecedented’ work, caring for the sick (every day!)
Point of Clarification, because it seems to be a tad bit short of the full picture here. The Queen could have VERY easily granted Anne’s first husband a title, just as was done for Princess Margaret. Lord Snowdon was created as such for the very purpose of Margaret’s children inheriting a title. In fact, it is said that The Queen did offer one behind-the-scenes, but Anne did not want this for her children. And that’s perfectly okay. Although, I still side-eye the whole, Zara and Peter living at Gatcombe on the taxpayer dime, but no one gives them as difficult time as the York Princesses. If Anne had wanted titles for Zara and Peter, it would have been offered through their father at the time of her first wedding, period. She would have simply taken on the secondary title as Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon did.
The Queen did offer Mark Phillips a title; he declined. She also gifted them Gatcombe Park to them.
I love how people are all like she’s not royal 😀 Like omg, her mother is the daughter of the Queen! So by birth she is royal and a princess….the titles are just a technicality…and I bet the whole family treats her just as royal and just as princess as William is a prince….not like Kate is a princess lol.