Zara Tindall and husband Mike's heartwarming birth announcements

Zara and Mike Tindall are a royal power couple, sharing three beautiful children and 12 years of marriage between them.

They live on the Gatcombe Estate in the Cotswolds, the same estate that the Princess Royal lives on with her husband Sir Timothy Laurence and Zara's older brother Peter Phillips – the perfect place to raise young children with family nearby!

Princess Anne's daughter is a former Olympic equestrian and the niece of King Charles. She met Mike, ex-England rugby player in 2003, when he was playing in Australia at the Rugby World Cup and the duo got chatting at Manly Wharf bar in Sydney.

The retired rugby player proposed after five years of dating, telling the Daily Mail: "My brother got engaged, and so did a certain Duke of Cambridge. I thought I'd better get on with it."

At the time, Buckingham Palace released a statement: "The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Zara Phillips to Mr. Mike Tindall, son of Mr. Phillip and Mrs. Linda Tindall."

It was essential for the couple to secure the late Queen's permission, as per the Royal Marriages Act of 1772, which she gave in May 2011.

The couple were married in Edinburgh in July 2011 in a ceremony at Canongate Kirk attended by Zara's cousins Prince William and Prince Harry.

Three years later, they welcomed their first bundle of joy.

Here, we take a look back at the birth announcements of Zara and Mike's three children… 

The birth of Zara Tindall's daughter Mia

Mia was born on 17 January 2014.

Buckingham Palace released a statement, saying: "Mrs Michael Tindall today safely delivered a baby girl at Gloucestershire Royal Hospital. Mr Tindall was present at the birth. The weight of the baby was 7lbs 12oz. The Queen, The Duke of Edinburgh, The Princess Royal, Captain Mark Phillips and Mike's parents, Mr Philip and Mrs Linda Tindall, have been informed and are delighted with the news."

The new dad was also delighted with the news, posting on Twitter: "Thanks so much for all your kind messages. Definitely the best day of my life today, so happy! The girls are both doing great!"

Mike chose a very modern way to announce the name of his firstborn, taking to Twitter to share: "For everyone who has asked what our daughters name, it's Mia Grace Tindall [SIC]."

The couple chose to share the first photos of Mia with HELLO!, posing with the adorable newborn in a series of sweet snaps at their Gatcombe home.

We often see Mia out and about at equestrian events supporting her mum and more recently at royal outings, attending the Easter service at Windsor Castle and the Christmas service at Sandringham last year with other members of the royal family.

She has a close bond with her cousins, pictured in deep conversation with Princess Charlotte and holding hands with Prince Louis on the walk to the chapel.

The birth announcement of Zara Tindall's daughter Lena

Buckingham Palace followed the same protocol for the announcement of the Tindalls' second child, sharing that Princess Anne's daughter had delivered a baby girl on 18 June 2018 at Stroud Maternity Unit.

Lena broke royal records when she was born, weighing an impressive 9lbs 3oz.

Her name, Lena Elizabeth, was announced via a representative, revealing that Lena "was just a name they liked", but Elizabeth was a clear reference to the late Queen Elizabeth, with whom Zara shared a close bond.

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She later told The Telegraph: "I liked the name Elena but I didn't want her initials to be 'E.T.' so she's Lena."

The birth was especially poignant given Zara's miscarriage at the end of 2016. Mike told the Sunday Times: "The saving grace for us has been Mia, our daughter, who is now three. However down we feel she will come running up in our faces."

Zara also opened up, telling the paper: "For me, the worst bit was that we had to tell everyone - everyone knew. I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along. I then had another miscarriage really early on."

Thankfully, little Lena arrived safely.

Princess Anne's granddaughter has been spotted at Gatcombe's Festival of British Eventing, and now that she's older, she's beginning to join her big sister, mum and dad at royal outings.

The birth announcement of Zara Tindall's son Lucas

The youngest Tindall had an unusual entry into the world, being born on the bathroom floor at Gatcombe on 21 March 2021.

Mike shared the story on his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, telling listeners: "Sunday got even better because a little baby boy arrived at my house," adding how his son "arrived very quickly. Didn't make it to hospital. On the bathroom floor.

"It was running to the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get the mat on the floor, towels down, brace, brace, brace."

He weighed 8lbs 4oz, not breaking the record set by older sister Lena.

A spokesperson for the couple said: "Zara and Mike Tindall are happy to announce the birth of their third child, Lucas Philip Tindall." Philip was a sweet tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Phillip, as well as Mike's father Philip Tindall.

On his podcast, Mike also revealed the hilarious reason Lucas's older sister Mia didn't learn the baby news first: "We haven't told Mia yet because we knew she would tell everyone at school, now that we've gone through the scan, yes (of) course we'll tell her.

"She'll be happy about it, she's been requesting another sister or brother, so we've hopefully fulfilled that role for her. She just wants something different now, Lena's growing up, she's two-and-a-half now, she wants something younger to play with and dress up."

Once Lucas is old enough, maybe he'll join his older sisters in rugby training and follow in his dad's footsteps.

All three children have a close bond with their cousins, Isla and Savannah Phillips, and often hang out with royal cousins Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis.

Zara previously told Australian Women's Weekly: "I think our families are fairly competitive," sharing an insight into royal family life.

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