The Truth About Zara Tindall's Devastating Pregnancy Losses
Zara Tindall, the granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth, became a mother for the third time in March 2021. Per People, the Olympic equestrian and her husband Mike Tindall gave birth to a baby boy named Lucas Philip Tindall with his middle name paying homage to Tindall's grandfather Prince Philip. Unfortunately, Prince Philip never got the chance to meet his great-grandchild as he was hospitalized when Zara's baby was born and had to comply with COVID-19 restrictions, Insider reported. Prince Philip tragically died on April 9, 2021 at 99 years old.
Lucas is Zara's third child after welcoming 7-year-old Mia and 2-year-old Lena in 2014 and 2018 respectively (via The Telegraph). As the first boy, Lucas certainly made a dramatic entrance into the world as he disrupted his mother's birthing plan. Zara gave birth at home because she couldn't get to the hospital in time. During the delivery, her husband Mike Tindall described Zara as a "warrior, as always," but he might have also been referring to the losses she dealt with in her past pregnancies.
Zara Tindall suffered two heartbreaking miscarriages
Zara Tindall suffered two miscarriages before she became pregnant with second daughter Lena. The eldest granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth revealed the sad news in an interview with The Times in 2018 and talked about how she overcame her grief. "I think you need to go through a period where you don't talk about it because it's too raw," she said. "But, as with everything, time's a great healer."
In a separate interview with BBC Breakfast, Zara also discussed the emotional challenges of going public with her losses. "I think that's the hardest thing in our situation, is that everyone knew," she said. "And very much when things like that happen, normally it's just your family and friends, but unfortunately everyone knew about it." Hello! Magazine noted that Zara had to reveal her first miscarriage to the press in 2016 because she had announced her pregnancy publicly.
As a result, Zara became one of the first royals to publicly speak about the heartache of losing an unborn child, but she was grateful for all the support she received. "I had so many letters saying, 'I'm so sorry, we've been through the same thing,' which was incredible — and thank you to all those people," Zara told BBC Breakfast.
According to The Times, the couple eventually overcame their heartbreak with the help of their daughter Mia, and called her their "saving grace."