Queen Elizabeth II spent just shy of 71 years as Britain’s sovereign, and now, a year after her death, the queen’s granddaughter has opened up about the enduring loss she feels.
Zara Tindall, in an interview with Australian Women’s Weekly published Monday, discussed missing her grandmother since her passing in September 2022.
“When you’ve got someone who’s a huge influence in your life, it leaves a hole,” Tindall said.
Tindall is a professional equestrian, and said that the late queen was a fellow lover of horses and accomplished rider, as well as a great supporter of Tindall’s athletic pursuits. It was their shared “happy place,” she said.
“I remember being around horses a lot when we used to go and see her,” she said. “She rode; grandfather was also involved with the horses, whether it was polo or carriage driving. And if we did anything pony-wise she’d come and watch and be really supportive. She very much knew what was going on in my career as I was growing up. And it was very much her happy place being with the horses. You got to see her real passion and love for the horses and that side of her.”
Zara and her husband Mike Tindall have three children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas, all of whom met their great-grandmother before her passing. Nine-year-old Mia and 5-year-old Lena have memories of the late queen, while Lucas, now 2, met her but was too small to remember her.
“Lucas doesn’t remember, but the girls do very much,” Zara said.
Mike added that the queen “was a big part of our holidays and family time.”
The competitive spirit runs in the family: Mike Tindall is a former professional rugby player, and many other royals are known to take their sporting pursuits very seriously. In an episode of Mike’s podcast, The Good, the Bad, and the Rugby, he hosted Kate Middleton and Prince William, who joked that they’d never been able to finish a tennis match against one another due to their competitive nature.
“It becomes a mental challenge between the two of us,” Kate said with a laugh.
Mia, Lena, Lucas, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis keep the friendly competition going, Mike said in the Women’s Weekly interview.
“Our kids play with their kids in this competition we have,” he said.
They all share the loss of their great-grandmother as well, a lack that Zara feels.
“All of us are so lucky to have had her for so long,” Zara said. “You always think when you’re little your grandparents are ancient when they’re not that old.”
“When you get to be an adult, then they are old, so we were very lucky to have her that long, and to have our children, her great-grandchildren, have that influence as well was incredible. It was a very precious time and we’re hugely grateful for it.”
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