It’s easy to look at the Royal Family and only see the high profile appearances, glamorous outfits and traditions that surround them. But Zara Tindall has just given a poignant reminder that they are, after all, a family and that they face "struggles" just like so many others.
The King’s niece attended the London Sporting Club lunch on 8th and according to The Sun, she allegedly addressed the side of royal life that is "hard to see" when you’re not in it yourself.
"It is very hard to see from the outside but, 100%, it is a family that is still going through the same struggles other people do. Whether they are relationships, obviously it is very easy to see every day," she reportedly declared.
Zara added that throughout everything they’re "still very supportive of each other". This was an incredibly honest revelation to make about the Royal Family, and although she isn’t said to have discussed specifics, they have certainly been through a lot in recent months.
King Charles and the Princess of Wales made their respective cancer diagnoses public within two months of each other last year. With two of the most senior members of the Royal Family pausing their public-facing duties for several months, other royals stepped up more than ever.
Zara herself supported Prince William as he hosted a Buckingham Palace Garden Party in his father’s stead last year. As a non-working royal, she doesn’t typically attend them, but she, Princess Beatrice and Eugenie were there for their cousin.
Princess Beatrice, whose place in the royal line of succession makes her one of the monarch’s Counsellors of State, also represented her uncle at a King’s Foundation Event last November.
It’s also clear that the passing of Queen Elizabeth in 2022 is something that is still deeply felt by her nearest and dearest. During the Sporting Club Lunch, Zara apparently spoke of her late grandmother and how "amazing" she was.
"We had a very incredible person to look up to who is sadly not here any more," she said. "She was amazing and an inspiration to all of us."
As Britain’s longest-reigning monarch, Queen Elizabeth was someone so many people across the world admired and looked up to - including her own family. She navigated plenty of difficult times in her own reign, in particular 1992, which she dubbed her "Annus Horribilis" or "Horrible Year".
Showing similar honesty to Zara, the late Queen addressed what her family had been going through openly and reminded everyone that they are only human.
On the 40th anniversary of her accession to the throne she delivered a speech that began with her calling the year her "Annus Horribilis" and added that she suspected "[she was] not alone in thinking it so".
Whilst her grandmother tended not to give interviews, Zara Tindall as a non-working royal and equestrian has done plenty and has shown the same frankness when it came to not having a title.
In 2023 she appeared on the late Rob Burrow’s award-winning podcast, Rob Burrow Seven, Meets…, and praised Princess Anne for turning down the offer of titles for her children.
"From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn't give us any titles so I really commend her on that," Zara said. "We [her and her brother Peter Phillips] were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way."
