Zara Tindall reveals Princess Anne told her she would get 'no help' if she pursued riding career

From the Newshound archive · first published 8 October 2026 · last updated 9 October 2026.

Zara Tindall has disclosed that both Princess Anne and her father Mark Phillips gave her an uncompromising ultimatum when she wanted to compete as a rider: do it properly and without any royal assistance, or don't do it at all. Speaking on the Talk Horse podcast with Pippa Funnell and Tristan Phipps, Zara, 45, said her parents told her she needed to 'produce results' entirely on her own merits. She went on to win a world championship title and Olympic silver for Great Britain.

Zara and her brother Peter Phillips were raised without royal titles, which she says let them blend in naturally at Pony Club.

Both Anne and Mark Phillips were decorated Olympians themselves, meaning horses were a constant presence at their Gloucestershire home, Gatcombe Park.

Zara says the tough upbringing shaped her as a parent, though she is consciously trying to take a 'gentler touch' with her own three children.