Princess Anne reveals four granddaughters are joining her for lockdown horse rides
Princess Anne has revealed she is passing on her love of horses to another royal generation as she is regularly joined by her granddaughters for lockdown horse rides.
Anne, who turns 70 next month, is grandmother to Mia and Lena Tindall, who are Zara’s daughters, and Savannah and Isla Philips, who are Peter’s children.
Anne and Zara already share a passion for horses, and have both competed in the Olympics in equestrian events.
The Princess Royal told Australia’s Women’s Weekly that Mia, who is six, and Lena, who is two, and well as Savannah, nine, and Isla, eight, sometimes join her on her daily rides.
She said: “They do occasionally come over.
“It gives them a change of scenery and a bit more water to play in.”
Anne lives in Gatcombe Park in Gloucestershire and her children and grandchildren live close by at Aston Farm.
Read more: Zara Tindall on what lockdown looks like at home in Gloucestershire
Zara and Mike Tindall have discussed life in lockdown on a few occasions, with Zara revealing how pleased she was to have her horses with her.
Mike also talked about the prospect of a date night with his wife as one of the most exciting things to happen for weeks.
But Peter Philips has been quieter. He and his wife Autumn announced their split earlier this year.
However they will continue to live in the UK, to avoid disruption to their children’s lives.
Horses and equestrian activities are a shared love among members of the Royal Family.
The Queen missed Royal Ascot for the first time in her reign this year, when she couldn’t attend because of coronavirus restrictions.
Several members of the family usually attend over the days of the annual horse event.
Princess Anne has also hosted the Gatcombe Horse Trials on her estate, and both she and Zara have won medals in the Olympics.
Zara, 39, is still hopeful of making the Olympics when they are held next year, rescheduled from this summer because of the pandemic.
It will be no surprise to see the younger royals picking up the shared love from their elders.
Neither of Anne’s children have royal titles, something she and her then husband Captain Mark Philips, refused on their birth.
Zara has previously said it helped her grow up without the spotlight or the pressures faced by others in the family with titles.
In the interview, Anne said: “I think even then it was easy to see that it was a very mixed blessing to have a title.”
And speaking about how her children had grown and ended up working for their living, she said: “'ve got no complaints.
“To be honest, having children of parents who both achieved at a fairly high level in sport and they've both achieved their own levels in their own sports, is fantastic. But they've also created their own careers away from that, using that experience – they've done incredibly well.”
