Zara Tindall says her father was a ‘tough coach’ who rarely praised her. How Princess Anne and Mark Phillip’s parenting shaped her drive to win

Zara Tindall, the daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips, recently opened up about how she was raised by her parents. Zara, the eldest granddaughter of the late Queen Elizabeth, revealed that despite being born into the British Royal family, she and her brother Peter were not given royal titles, a decision made by Anne and Mark, which Zara approved. In a recent interview, the royal-born revealed the parenting styles of her mother and father that shaped her desire to win.

Zara Tindall on a strict childhood

Zara recently appeared in a new episode of the Talk Horse podcast where she opened up about how she used to do basic tasks all by herself.

Zara disclosed that her parents always pushed her to do everything properly, reminding her that no help was coming and it was she who was responsible for the results. For the unversed, she bagged silver at the 2012 Olympics.

Zara Tindall on her father and childhood

Speaking about her father, Zara said that he was very critical of her achievements, adding that he rarely used to praise her. ‘Very rarely, you would get a ‘Yeah, that was good’ out of him. So it was always striving to try and get that comment,’ said Zara.

Apart from that, Zara shared that she had to do all the work related to taking care of their horses. Her and her brother’s tasks primarily involved cleaning the tack and mucking them out. Zara said that if he and Peter failed to complete the work, they were in for serious trouble.

More about Zara Tindall and her family

Zara continued that although his father was a tough coach, she is trying to be gentle with her own kids. Zara, who is also married to a pro-athlete, Mike, shares 3 children - Mia, 12, Lena, 8, and Lucas, 5. Mike was a former professional rugby player.

Coming to Zara’s parents, Anne and Mark represented Great Britain at the Olympics, but Zara was the first member of the royal family to clinch a medal. The duo got married in 1973 and divorced in 1992. Their son Peter is 3 years older than Zara.