Zara Tindall Reflects on Dad Mark Phillips’ ‘Tough’ Coaching Style and How It Shapes Her Own Parenting
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Growing up as the daughter of two Olympic equestrians meant high standards and little room for shortcuts. Now a mother of three, Zara Tindall is opening up about how her father’s demanding coaching style shaped her athletic career—and why she is taking a gentler approach with her own children.
Speaking on a recent episode of the Talk Horse podcast with hosts Pippa Funnell and Tristan Phipps, the 45-year-old Olympic silver medalist recalled the rigorous discipline instilled by her parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips.
Striving for Rare Praise
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Both Princess Anne and Mark Phillips represented Great Britain on the world stage, with Phillips securing Olympic team gold in 1972 and silver in 1988. While Zara followed in their footsteps—earning her own silver medal at the London 2012 Games—she acknowledged that learning the ropes under her father was an intense experience.
“I think my dad and my mum were like, ‘But you have to do it properly. And this is how it’s going to work. And you’re not getting any help, and you need to produce results,'” Zara shared.
Her father, in particular, set an exceptionally high bar:
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“My father was quite critical. Very rarely, you would get a ‘Yeah, that was good’ out of him. So it was always striving to try and get that comment. He was a tough coach, but I’m trying not to be quite that bad with my own kids.”
Beyond coaching feedback, Zara and her older brother, Peter Phillips, were expected to handle the everyday labor of equestrian life despite their royal lineage as grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II.
“We had to do everything with them. We had to clean our tack, muck them out. And if we didn’t do it, we were in serious trouble.”
Passing the Reins to the Next Generation
Zara and her husband, former England rugby star Mike Tindall, share three children: Mia (12), Lena (8), and Lucas (5).
While her daughters have taken an interest in riding, the dynamic is not without classic parent-child friction. Zara recounted a recent outing where she took Mia jumping alongside Peter’s teenage daughters, Savannah (15) and Isla (14), only to receive an eye-roll from her eldest.
“I think I was probably like that with my mother and father too,” Zara admitted with a laugh.
Freedom from Royal Titles and an Ultra-Competitive Home
Princess Anne famously declined royal titles or HRH status for her children at birth—a decision Zara continues to appreciate.
“We were just part of the group, just having fun,” Zara said, echoing past sentiments that avoiding royal titles allowed her and Peter to grow up outside the intense glare of the royal spotlight.
That down-to-earth upbringing has translated into a lively household with Mike. Speaking separately at the Henley Literature Festival, Mike joked that their children have fully inherited both parents’ relentless athletic drive.
“Even if it’s just a race upstairs to bed, there will be ankle taps,” Mike remarked, referring to the classic rugby tackle. “It might lead to a broken leg one day, but they will learn. Hopefully the children will turn out like us. And if they are as competitive as their mother, then we are all f—–!”
