Zara Phillips

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Zara Anne Elizabeth Phillips (born 15 May 1981) is the only daughter of Princess Anne, the Princess Royal and her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips. She is the granddaughter of Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom and is currently 11th in the British Order of Succession. She is an elite standard equestrienne and is the current European and World Champion in eventing.

1 Birth
2 Education
3 Equitation
4 Engagements and charities
5 Relationships
6 In popular culture
7 External links

[edit] Birth

Phillips was born in the private Lindo Wing of St Mary's Hospital of Paddington, London. She was baptised on 27 July 1981. Her godparents were Prince Andrew, Duke of York, Leonora Anson, Countess of Lichfield, Helen Stewart (wife of Jackie Stewart), Andrew Parker Bowles and Hugh Thomas. Her unusual name caused a stir in royal circles as it was neither Christian nor one of the traditional names usually chosen by the Royal Family. Apparently, it was chosen by her maternal uncle HRH The Prince of Wales. Princess Anne recalled "The baby made a rather sudden and positive arrival, and my brother thought Zara (a Greek name meaning "bright as the dawn") was an appropriate name."

Phillips has an older brother, Peter Phillips, born in November 1977, and two half-sisters, Felicity Tonkin, born in 1985 to her father and his former mistress and Stephanie Phillips, born in 1997 from her father's second marriage to Sandy Pflueger.

[edit] Education

Following a spell at the local primary school, Phillips was educated at Port Regis Prep School in Dorset and at Gordonstoun, Scotland. Upon successful completion of her A-levels, Phillips decided to take a year out from education, spending three months of it in Australia and New Zealand. Whilst in Sydney, Phillips spent time with friends of her parents, working as, amongst other things, a stagehand on an Australian production of The King and I.

Unsurprisingly, Phillips has always attracted the attention of the British press, not only because she is the eldest grand-daughter of Queen Elizabeth II, but also for her somewhat feisty and spirited nature. Her tongue and navel piercings at the age of 16 led her to be dubbed a "Royal Rebel." Suddenly the world press picked up on her as a photogenic blonde who appeared to be having a wonderful time[1]. Stories and pictures surfaced of Phillips sunbathing topless, frolicking in the sea, bungee jumping and enjoying the Sydney nightlife. Upon her return to England, she enrolled at University of Exeter in south-west England, and went on to qualify as a physiotherapist, specialising in equine physiotherapy.

[edit] Equitation

Following in both her parents' footsteps, she is an accomplished equestrian sportswoman. In June 2003, Phillips announced that she had secured a sponsorship deal with Cantor Index, a leading company in spread betting to help cover the costs of her equestrian career. This was the first ever commercial deal between a member of The Royal Family,it continues to the present day.

Phillips is expected to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In 2005, at Blenheim Palace, she emulated her mother by winning the individual European Eventing Championship title. She also won gold with the British team.

Her achievements in 2005 were topped with accolades received by virtue of the general public. In November 2005, Phillips won the Sunday Times Sportswoman of the Year award, which was awarded at a ceremony at Old Billingsgate Market in London. She beat off stiff competition from sportswomen such as Paula Radcliffe and Dame Ellen MacArthur.

In 2006 she won individual gold and team silver at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany and is therefore Eventing World Champion.

Despite being The Queen's granddaughter, Phillips tries to keep her feet mainly on the ground. She was heard admitting that she finds it a "struggle" to maintain the brilliant form she has displayed over the 2005 season in light of the fact that the pressure and media spotlight she is under. Aside from her three-day and other equine events, she used to hunt and has, in the past, played hockey for Cheltenham Ladies Hockey Club.

[edit] Engagements and charities

As the eldest granddaugter of The Queen, Zara carries out duties on behalf of The Royal Family. In 2003, Zara and her mother took part in the first UK double ship-naming ceremony in Southampton. HRH The Princess Royal named the P&O Cruises liner Oceana and Zara named its sister ship Adonia.

Zara frequently attends various events for charity and has taken to supporting certain causes herself, mainly for spinal injuries, equestrian charities and children's causes.

In 2005 she auctioned off one of her evening gowns (worn at the London premiere of the film Seabiscuit) to help with tsunami relief. She also undertook a royal visit to New Zealand in her role as patron of The Catwalk Trust.

From 1998 to 2005 she served as the president of Club 16-24, a group which encourages young people to take an interest in racing.

Zara is also linked to INSPIRE, the Salisbury based medical research charity that helps to improve the quality of life of people with spinal cord injuries, and Sargent Cancer Care for Children, the UK's leading children's cancer charity.

Zara also appears at events for The Cauldwell Charitable Trust, which is targeted at children with special needs, disabilities and serious illnesses.

Zara has continued her family's long patronage of Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children and has visited on many occasions.

In 2006, Zara took part in a special charity day for Cantor Index, whose staff were killed in the attacks on September 11, 2001.

[edit] Relationships

Her often stormy relationship with former fiance and National Hunt jockey Richard Johnson, with whom she lived for five years, attracted the unwelcome attention of the British paparazzi, and the couple's split in November 2003 became front page news.

She is currently in a long-term relationship with Rugby player Mike Tindall [2].

[edit] In popular culture

The graphic novel V for Vendetta contains a reference to "Queen Zara"; it is implied that following a nuclear war in the 1980s she was the most senior survivor in the order of succession. Although in the novel, the authors incorrectly (perhaps intentionally) refer to "Queen Zara's" 16th birthday being in June 1996 suggesting that it was only meant to be somewhat of a tenuous link.
Nick Copeman's 2005 memoir, King Nicholas and the Copeman Empire is dedicated to Phillips, and she is mentioned extensively throughout.