Just like Gan-Gan! How Mia Tindall is following in the footsteps of her great-grandmother the late Queen Elizabeth, Princess Anne and mother Zara with her love of horses and competing
A young girl sits astride her pony, white breeches tucked into polished black riding boots, her eyes fixed on the jumps ahead. At her side, her mother watches intently, feeding and fussing over the horse before her daughter takes to the arena.
But this is no ordinary mother-and-daughter moment. The young rider is Mia Tindall, 12, granddaughter of Princess Anne, pictured at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials at the weekend with her mother, Olympic medallist Zara Tindall.
It is an image the late Queen Elizabeth II would surely have cherished – a glimpse of her own lifelong passion for horses being passed down yet another generation.
For Zara, 45, the transition from international competitor to supportive horse mum is a relatively recent role reversal.
The former Olympian, who won team silver at London 2012 and also competed at Rio 2016, continues to enjoy success in the saddle, winning the British Open Eventing Championship at Hartpury in August. But at Blenheim it was Mia who took centre stage.
Riding her pony Bunny Two Twirls, Mia competed for Minchinhampton Pony Club in the Heythrop Pony Club team show-jumping competition.
Mia Tindall, 12, granddaughter of Princess Anne, pictured at the Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials at the weekend with her mother, Olympic medallist Zara Tindall
It is an image the late Queen Elizabeth II would surely have cherished – a glimpse of her own lifelong passion for horses being passed down yet another generation
And she appeared entirely at home. Dressed in a smart riding jacket, white breeches and tall boots, the 12-year-old looked every inch the young competitor as she tackled the course, while her mother watched proudly from the sidelines.
Mia has clearly inherited not only Zara’s love of horses but also her hands-on approach. She was seen tending to her mother’s horse, Classicals Eurostar, between events, while Zara offered advice from the ground.
Zara revealed several years ago that both of her daughters were already taking an interest in riding.
And Mia, the eldest of Zara and former England rugby star Mike Tindall’s three children, now appears to be developing a competitive streak of her own. Her equestrian heritage could hardly be more distinguished.
The late Queen was on horseback almost from the moment she could walk. Given her first pony, Peggy, by her father King George VI when she was four, she rode well into her nineties and famously competed in Trooping the Colour on her beloved black mare Burmese. She attended Royal Ascot throughout her reign and bred and owned racehorses that produced hundreds of winners.
Then there is Mia’s grandmother, Princess Anne, who became the first member of the British Royal Family to compete in the Olympic Games.
At Montreal in 1976 she rode her mother’s horse Goodwill in the three-day event, completing the course despite suffering a concussion in a fall. The late Queen watched on proudly in the stands as her daughter made history.
The Tindalls have long been regarded as the more relaxed, sporty face of the Royal Family. Now Mia looks poised to carry that tradition into a new generation
Meanwhile, Mia is also growing up alongside three royal cousins, Prince George, 13, Princess Charlotte, 11, and Prince Louis, eight, the children of Prince William and Catherine, Princess of Wales who affectionately called the late monarch ‘Gan Gan’.
The three Wales children have increasingly appeared at major royal occasions alongside their parents, including Trooping the Colour and this summer’s Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
While Mia has inherited the Tindall family’s particularly strong equestrian streak, her cousins are being raised in a rather different branch of the Royal Family, one much closer to the centre of power.
George, as future king, is already beginning to take on a more visible public role, while Charlotte and Louis are gradually becoming familiar faces at family occasions.
Yet there is something striking about seeing the cousins growing up at broadly the same time, each embodying a different side of their great-grandmother’s legacy.
George is being prepared for a future defined by duty and public service; Charlotte and Louis are growing up within that same tradition, while Mia, free from the expectations placed on the children of the heir, has the freedom to pursue the sporting passion that runs so strongly through her mother’s family.
Zara, a former Olympian who won team silver at London 2012, continues to enjoy success in the saddle, winning the British Open Eventing Championship at Hartpury in August. She is pictured receiving her silver medal in London 2012
It is a distinction that makes Mia’s appearance at Blenheim all the more charming. She may not be destined for the throne, but she is already becoming a familiar young face on the equestrian circuit.
And while Zara has spent years being the one in the saddle, there was something rather lovely about seeing the roles reversed – the Olympic medallist standing at the side of the arena, watching her daughter take the reins.
The Tindalls have long been regarded as the more relaxed, sporty face of the Royal Family. Now Mia looks poised to carry that tradition into a new generation.
At 12, she is still a long way from knowing where her riding might take her. But with Zara, Princess Anne and the memory of the late Queen behind her, she could hardly have a more distinguished family cheering her on.
