Tragic Details About Princess Anne's Daughter Zara Tindall

Most people are familiar with the lives of the senior royals; as the other members of the royal family have the privilege of keeping things a bit more private. However, that doesn't mean their lives are any easier. Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall, is a prime example of this.

Princess Anne welcomed two children with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. Zara Tindall was the younger of the two kids and was born on May 15, 1981, at St. Mary's Hospital. Surprisingly, King Charles III was the one who advised his sister on the name Zara. According to People, Princess Anne once shared, "The baby made a rather sudden and positive arrival and my brother thought Zara [a Greek name meaning 'bright as the dawn'] was an appropriate name." As she grew up, Zara lived a pretty normal life thanks to how her parents chose to raise her. She explained to The Times, "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."

Over the years, Zara has appeared to live a life people can only dream of. Being a part of the royal family, getting married to her dream guy, and having a couple of kids of her own — it seems like Zara has everything one could ever want. However, like many, Zara has dealt with some tragic moments throughout her life.

Queen Elizabeth II's death rocked the nation and devastated members of the royal family. Zara Tindall, who was close to the late queen, was especially heartbroken by the death of her grandmother.

In 2019, Ingrid Seward, Editor-in-Chief of Majesty Magazine, revealed to The Sun just how close Zara and Queen Elizabeth II were. She shared, "The Queen has always adored Zara and is so proud of her riding success. They have a lot in common as they talk horses and the Queen has invested in several horses for her." They were so close that it was even said that the queen favored Zara and her husband, Mike Tindall, over Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Zara was crushed when Queen Elizabeth II died in September 2022. As she explained to The Australian Women's Weekly Magazine in 2023, "When you've got someone who's a huge influence in your life [it leaves a hole] ... all of us are so lucky to have had her for so long." Zara feels privileged that her children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas, got to know their great-grandmother, even if she admits that Lucas doesn't remember her as much. Still, Zara and Queen Elizabeth II's relationship was stronger than most, but it made it that much harder when the late queen tragically passed.

Zara Tindall opened up like never before when she revealed she had suffered not one but two miscarriages while trying to get pregnant a second time. In 2018, she told BBC Breakfast, "I think it's [having a miscarriage] the hardest thing in our situation that everyone knew." Although going through such a tragedy in the public eye must have been difficult, Zara revealed that many reached out to her, saying they had been through a similar situation. She continued, "It's been a horrible road but, you know, actually now we've come out the end of it, hopefully it makes you a stronger family."

In her interview with the BBC, Zara briefly touched on how the miscarriage affected her husband, Mike Tindall. However, in 2023, Mike revealed more details about the difficult situation to The Times, explaining how their daughter, Mia, made it easier to deal with this tragedy. He shared, "So to get home from the hospital and Mia is there with a smile on her face, you put all your love into her. If we'd have gone home to an empty house, that would have been a completely different scenario." 

Zara was the first member of the royal family to reveal that she had suffered a miscarriage, which couldn't have made this situation any easier. However, Zara opened the door for others, like Meghan Markle, to share their experiences dealing with similar situations.

Just a year prior to the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Zara Tindall had suffered another tremendous loss. Zara — who had taken after her grandmother's love for horses – is a professional equestrian and has grown close to many in the industry, including Preston North End Football Club owner Trevor Hemmings.

Unfortunately, in October 2021, Preston North End Football Club announced the death of Hemmings. Many were devastated by the loss, including Zara, who broke down in tears while appearing on the YouTube mini-series "Mike Drop," hosted by her husband, Mike Tindall. She shared that Hemmings was one of her biggest supporters throughout her career, specifically during her Olympic run in 2012. She said, "When London got the Olympics, [Trevor] was like, 'Let's go find a horse for London,' and I was like, 'Okay!'" Together, they worked together on the horse to reach the Olympic level.

Zara then broke down in tears as she discussed winning a silver medal because it was an opportunity to give back to Hemmings. She explained in the interview, "But to see his face at the Olympics and to get that team medal was amazing. And to be able to give something back to him when he had supported me for so long was incredible. I'm going to get emotional." Hemmings meant a lot to Zara, and the lessons she learned from him will surely last throughout her life.

Zara Tindall and her husband, Mike Tindall, have welcomed three amazing children into their lives — Mia, Lena, and Lucas. All three of her kids have brought Zara an immense amount of joy, but becoming a mom also meant suffering from mom guilt. 

Zara revealed in a January 2023 appearance on "Mike Drop" that she found it difficult to jump back into her career as an equestrian due to intense mom guilt. She shared, "I found it hard getting back into it [riding], but mentally, you feel guilty as a mother — leaving your child to go do something else ... I felt guilty all the time ... that's just an aspect of my life."

The royal knew that mom guilt comes with the territory of having kids, but it doesn't get easier. She told The Australian Women's Weekly Magazine in December 2023, that she still deals with the guilt. She explained, "I don't think I ever noticed growing up my mother not being around, even though she was really busy. So, I don't think the children pay any attention, but I think as mothers you feel like you should be doing more." 

Zara Tindall and Princess Anne's relationship is unlike any other. The mother-daughter duo is so close that when Anne suffered a serious accident, it left Zara severely shaken.

In June 2024, Buckingham Palace revealed that Princess Anne suffered an accident while at Gatcombe Park. Details about the incident were a bit foggy, as the royal had suffered a concussion after reportedly being hit by a horse's legs or head. Reportedly, Anne's memory loss was temporary and had only been caused by the incident. Even though she is now on the road to recovery, the royals' incident left her daughter terrified.

An insider told GB News that Zara, who visited her mother frequently in the hospital, was worried sick. "This is exactly what Zara's been worried about happening for years now, but her mum hasn't had a chance to slow down with everyone else falling apart," they said. "It's really shaken Zara to the core and she's desperately hoping this memory is temporary."