Meet Zara & Mike’s daughter Mia as she turns 11 – BFFs with Prince Louis, £1.69m estate & stealing Queen’s thunder
CELEBRATIONS are in order for Zara and Mike Tindall’s daughter Mia, who turned 11 this week and is fast becoming one of the most popular stars of the royal family.
The young royal has proved to be a big hit with her cousins and is often seen having a cheeky moment with the likes of Princess Charlotte, nine, and Prince Louis, six.
On Christmas Day, Mia was seen beaming with Charlotte as they left church at Sandringham.
She was also seen whooping with delight at the Cheltenham New Year’s Day Meeting in Gloucestershire with her family.
Meanwhile, during the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations, Mia provided star-quality entertainment with her incredible dance moves during a performance of Dancing Queen by Abba.
But what else do we know about Mia, who is 22nd in line to the throne?
AirTagged by parents
Dedicated dad Mike keeps tabs on his daughter Mia — with a £35 Apple AirTag.
The young royal was spotted wearing a tracking device pinned to her shorts as she cheered on mum Zara, 43, at the Burghley Horse Trials.
An onlooker at the bash in Lincolnshire said: “The Tindalls always have a fantastic time together as a family at Burghley. Mia is full of energy and often runs off, finding the day very exciting.
“The Apple AirTags are a great idea to keep track of children at a busy event like this – especially if they aren’t old enough yet to have a mobile phone.”
Budding rugby star
Mia has clearly inherited her parents’ sporty genes, with mum Zara winning silver in an equestrian event at the 2021 London Olympics, and dad Mike being a former rugby player.
Former rugby star Mike revealed on The One Show how his daughters are following in his footsteps on the pitch.
Both Mia and Lena, six, play for their local under-sixes team – but he admitted they have been reluctant during winter.
He said: “I’ve found with the girls, that battle to still go and get muddy is still a battle. Once they are there, they’re okay.”
On a previous episode of his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, Mike shared: “It’s always hard to get Mia to go.
“She’s like, ‘I don’t like it,’ and then you get there, and she’s off.”
However, he proudly said of her success: “Mia scored a couple… It was an eight-all thriller in the first game and then a nine-all thriller in the second.”
In 2023 Zara revealed during an interview with Hello Magazine that Mia likes swimming.
‘Stealing the Queen’s thunder’
Little Mia is known for her boisterous behaviour and famously stole the show in Queen Elizabeth II‘s 90th birthday portrait.
The young tot was seen adorably clutching her great-grandmother’s famous black handbag in the picture.
Mike previously opened up about Mia’s star turn in the family picture, which featured the late Queen’s other great-grandchildren including Prince George and Princess Charlotte.
He said: “It just happened at the right time. She was being a bit naughty.
“The Queen got it quite right when she told her ‘just hold the handbag now’ and she did that. It ended up being a great photo for her.”
Mia was also an instant star when she looked adorably ‘grumpy’ in Princess Eugenie’s wedding photos.
Luxury home
In 2013, Zara and Mike decided to sell their £1.69million mansion in Cheltenham to move closer to Princess Anne.
They now live on Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire with their children.
It is a 700-acre estate on which Princess Royal holds several annual equestrian events.
The home is equipped with a personal gym that has a brick wall with a Union Jack flag on it that Mike revealed when he was participating in the 2.6 challenge in April 2021.
Helped family through heartbreak
Mike shared how his cheeky daughter Mia helped him and wife Zara get through their devastating miscarriage.
The couple were left heartbroken when Zara lost their second child, just weeks after they had announced her pregnancy.
Speaking on Good Morning Britain, the ex-rugby player admitted it had been a tough time, but their daughter Mia had been their saving grace.
He said: “We were very lucky to have Mia in terms of what we’ve been through.
“To get home, and you can be in a horrible place that you are and can expect to be, but when you’ve got a two-year-old who is absolute carnage and wants to be playing and wants to be enjoying herself, I think that pulls you through things.”
Expensive pony gift
Queen Elizabeth II was an avid horse-lover, and it seems Mia is taking after the late monarch, as she started riding at the young age of two.
Mike revealed at the time: “She’s very playful, always outside and she goes riding every now and again.”
To encourage her hobby, her dedicated parents decided to splash out on an expensive gift for their daughter.
Speaking to Australian magazine Now To Love, Zara said: “We just bought Mia a new pony called Magic.”
Mike added that Mia goes out horse riding with her cousins Savannah and Isla Phillips.
Down-to-earth upbringing with no title
Mia was born on January 17, 2014, at the Gloucestershire Royal Hospital in Gloucester and is a grandchild of Princess Anne and the great grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth.
In 2018 her parents gave her a sibling, Lena Elizabeth Tindall, and in 2021 Mia became a big sister again with her brother’s Lucas’ birth.
When Mia’s mother Zara was born in 1981, her parents, Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, declined to give her a title.
Since their parents did not receive a royal rank, Mia and her siblings were not able to inherit one.
‘Down-to-earth’ Mike and Zara are said to prefer nights at their local pub to posh banquets and even recently turned down a first class trip for economy seats on a trip from Nice to London.
Royal commentator Jennie Bond told Fabulous: “I have never met anyone who has a bad word to say about either Mike or Zara.
“They are so relatable and modern, and they are still madly in love with each other – and that is no mean achievement after 20 years of marriage and three kids!”
Inside life of most relatable royal couple Zara and Mike Tindall
YOU might expect to find royalty spending their evenings eating fancy food, wearing designer gowns and dripping in diamonds.
But for one royal couple, life is a lot more ‘normal’ than you’d imagine – we’re talking curry and beer nights and muddy dog walks.
From Ann Summers parties and tongue piercings to sibling spats in the royal box, here we take a look at how the Tindall clan has carved out a reputation as Britain’s most relatable royals.
Mike and Zara met in Australia in 2003 during the Rugby World Cup, after they were introduced to each other in a bar in Sydney by Zara’s cousin Prince Harry.
The couple’s relationship blossomed back in the UK, but it wasn’t all big elaborate romantic gestures – things happened naturally.
Mike later told the Daily Mail: “We got introduced but didn’t speak that much.
“Later on, [rugby player] Austin Healey gave me her number and said, ‘She wants you to text her, to say where you’re all going out after the final so she can come along.’”
Unlike Kate Middleton and Prince William, Mike and Zara have never shied away from a PDA and happily show their love for each other.
But when it comes to dates, they reportedly love nothing more than a night in front of the telly.
According to reports, Mike proposed at home while Zara was watching TV.
It was this level of normality which the Queen was said to have adored about her eldest granddaughter and her family.
One royal source said: “Zara and Mike relax in their dog-strewn home with a box-set, a good curry and some lagers.”
If they do fancy a night out, it’s understood Princess Anne babysits so they can enjoy a date at the local pub near where they live in Gloucester.