Pregnant Zara Tindall has been pictured for the first time since announcing she and husband Mike are expecting their third child.
The England rugby star, 42, posed with his equestrian wife, 39, who is the Queen’s eldest granddaughter, for a selfie which he shared to Instagram.
The couple, who live at Princess Anne‘s Gatcombe Estate in Gloucester, wore scarves pulled up over their faces to show their support for the My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, which hopes to find a cure for Motor Neurone Disease.
Mike captioned the post: ‘Not the best way to start 2021 going into competition with my better half especially a pregnant one but sometimes it has to be done for great causes. Please get involved with @myname5doddie @doddiegump but make sure you chose the right team! #scottishexiles great way to get in shape through January whilst helping a fantastic cause!’
The couple, who revealed they are expecting earlier this month, are already parents to Mia Grace, six, and Lena Elizabeth, two.
Pregnant Zara Tindall has been pictured for the first time since announcing she and husband Mike are expecting their third child. The England rugby star, 42, posed with his wife, 39, who is the Queen’s eldest granddaughter, for a selfie which he shared to Instagram
Last week Mike joined the club of long-suffering parents whose lockdown video calls have been crashed by cheeky children, when his daughters interrupted his rugby podcast recording.
Mike was chatting with Alex Payne and James Haskell during The Good, The Bad and The Rugby Christmas special when his youngest came charging into the room.
After stealing his festive headband, adorable Lena left – only to return moments later with sister Mia in hot pursuit.
James flagged Lena’s arrival, telling Mike: ‘You’ve got a visitor Tinds, a very small visitor over your left shoulder.’
Last week Mike joined the club of long-suffering parents whose lockdown video calls have been crashed by cheeky children, when his daughters interrupted his rugby podcast recording
Mike was chatting with Alex Payne and James Haskell during The Good, The Bad and The Rugby Christmas special when his youngest, Lena, came charging into the room and stole his headband
Lena was then heard calling ‘Papa’ before running up to her father and pointing at his Santa headband, asking politely: ‘Please may I have your hat?’
Mike then lifted the toddler onto his knee, while Alex remarked: ‘This the content that people came for.’
As Lena looked thrilled with her new accessory, Mike admitted: ‘I don’t even think I can steal back the headgear,’ – at which point Lena climbed down and ran out of the room.
But less than a minute after the hosts resumed their discussion, the door opened yet again, with Lena running in asking for a cuddle.
Zara can be seen in the doorway, and shouted: ‘Lena, out!’ before Mia made an appearance wearing reindeer antlers and carrying her father’s headband.
Less than a minute after the hosts resumed their discussion, the door opened yet again, with Lena running in asking her dad for a cuddle
After Mia placed the stolen Santa hat back on Mike’s head, she then gazed cheekily into the camera while Lena waved at her dad and said ‘bye, bye Papa’ before climbing down from his knee.
Zara gave the hosts a wave before beckoning over her youngest, while Mia fed Mike a spoonful of her supper from a bowl on her way out.
A clip of the adorable moment shared on social media thrilled royal fans, with many remarking on how much the girls have grown.
One wrote: ‘Lena Tindall gatecrashing her dad’s podcast (twice) followed by Mia with Zara trying to make them come out. They’re so big I actually can’t cope.’
Another remarked: ‘Oh my god, they are so big and different.’
Lena waved at her dad and said ‘bye, bye Papa’ before climbing down, while Mia gazed cheekily into the camera
Zara, who is believed to be around four months pregnant, gave the hosts a wave before beckoning over her youngest (pictured)
Mia brought in Mike’s Santa headband which her sister had stolen and placed it back on his head
Mia fed Mike a spoonful of her supper on her way out, which delighted royal fans who commented on how much the children had grown
Mike announced Zara’s pregnancy on the podcast earlier this month, telling his co-hosts: ‘It’s been a good week for me, had a little scan last week – third Tindall on its way.’
Mike said that Zara is doing very well but is ‘always careful due to things that have happened in the past’, adding that she is really looking forward to the new arrival.
The couple, who suffered two miscarriages after the birth of their eldest daughter in 2014, were the first royals to openly speak about the heart-breaking experience.
In December 2016 the couple revealed that a pregnancy announced the previous month had ended in a miscarriage.
Two years later in an interview with the Sunday Times, Zara, opened up about the devastation of losing the baby and revealed she had suffered a second miscarriage before falling pregnant with daughter Lena, now two.
The latest announcement via Mike’s podcast showed a different approach from the Tindalls, who had pregnancies formally announced by Buckingham Palace in the past.
Zara, pictured in September with her dog before competing in the cross country discipline during the Burnham Market International Horse Trials in Norfolk
Mike said: ‘Z is very good, always careful because of things that have happened in the past, and really looking forward to it.’
He added: ‘I’d like a boy this time, I’ve got two girls, I would like a boy. I’ll love it whether a boy or a girl – but please be a boy.’
He then joked the couple are considering naming the child to reflect the fact they were conceived during the pandemic.
‘We’re not sure what to do, Covi or Covina – I don’t know where to go with names,’ he chuckled.
A Buckingham Palace spokesperson said: ‘Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh are aware and delighted.’
The Queen and Prince Philip currently have eight great-grandchildren. The baby is the second royal arrival on the way as Zara’s cousin Princess Eugenie is expecting her first child next year.