Zara Tindall made the headlines this week after she carried out a rare royal engagement with her mother, Princess Anne, for a cause close to her heart.
The Princess Royal, 75, is said to frequently lean on her beloved daughter, 44, and this was certainly the case when they made their first joint outing together 22 years ago.
Zara, then 22, and Anne’s close bond was evident when they attended Britain’s first ever double cruise ship naming ceremony in what has been called an ‘iconic moment’ in their relationship.
Fresh-faced and with platinum blonde hair, Zara looked effortlessly glamorous in a floor-length black maxi dress with bell-sleeves and heeled shoes.
It was the perfect fit for a young royal, who exuded elegance and sophistication as she stood proudly next to her mother for the unique event for P&O Cruises.
Anne, then 52, donned a sleeveless, knee-length blue dress and matching jacket for the event, where they named P&O’s liner Adonia and sister ship Oceana.
According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, it also marked the ‘launch of a dual partnership of mutual affection, respect and achievement’ that lives on to this day.
‘The double-naming placed both mother and daughter together on the world stage as our monarchy has an iconic status,’ Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail.
Zara (left), then 22, and Anne’s close bond was evident when they attended Britain’s first ever double cruise ship naming ceremony in what has been called an ‘iconic moment’ in their relationship
‘The pride Anne must have felt when this launched Zara’s career publicly must have been enormous. Publicly and privately it has strengthened their family bonds immeasurably.’
While not an official engagement, as neither Anne nor Zara were representing the late Queen Elizabeth II, the double-christening quickly confirmed Zara’s status as a down-to-earth and likeable member of the Royal Family.
Just six months after the P&O Cruises event with her mother in 2003, Zara would meet her now husband, Mike Philips, with the pair celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary on July 30 this year.
In the years since, Zara, now a mother of three, has kept a low profile and doesn’t typically attend royal engagements since she’s not a working member of the Firm.
When the Princess Royal and her former husband Mark Philips welcomed their son Peter in 1977, they decided that they would not give him or Zara, born in May 1981, royal titles.
The couple had declined the Queen’s invitation in a bid to provide their children with as normal an upbringing as possible, free from royal obligations and duties.
Zara later revealed that she felt ‘lucky’ such a decision had been made on her behalf, telling The Times in 2015 that it meant she and her brother ‘grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do’.
In recent years, however, royal commentators and fans alike have praised Zara as a breath of fresh air while suggesting she should play a more prominent role in the family – especially with her mother.
While members of the Royal Family typically keep their emotions guarded, the mother and daughter’s ‘private togetherness’ does ‘occasionally manifest itself publicly’, Mr Fitzwilliams said.
According to royal expert Richard Fitzwilliams, it also marked the ‘launch of a dual partnership of mutual affection, respect and achievement’ that lives on to this day
Zara looked effortlessly glamorous in a floor-length black maxi dress accompanied with bell-sleeves and heeled shoes
In fact, Anne’s reputation as a serious and ‘severe’ royal was challenged after a rare display of unbridled joy when Zara was crowned European Eventing Champion at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire in 2005.
Anne, who also won gold at the same event in 1971, was every bit the ‘proud mother’ as she wrapped her daughter in a big hug before presenting her gold medal in what Zara has called a ‘fairytale’ moment.
Mr Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that, until this moment, the Princess Royal was often seen as ‘severe and imperious’.
But the emotional moment shifted public perception and made the ‘sheer, undiluted joy’ of her and Zara’s hug ‘a delight to watch’, he continued.
Detailing the close bond shared between the pair, Mr Fitzwilliams added: ‘Zara sees her mother as a role model and an inspiration.’
During a special edition of the BBC’s Inside Sport programme to commemorate Anne’s 60th birthday on August 15, 2010, Zara emotionally revealed that ‘I would like to be a god a mother as she’s been’.
In November, the royal mother and daughter were spotted on a rare joint engagement in London, with Zara seen munching on a biscuit while walking behind Anne as the pair headed to an animal welfare conference
It comes after the Daily Mail’s Diary Editor Richard Eden said Zara’s most recent royal outing was a massive success, adding: ‘I would like to see her taking on more public duties in the future.’
Last month, Zara and Anne attended the annual World Horse Welfare conference at the Royal Geographical Society in London, as delighted royal onlookers noted Zara’s ability to bring out a unique side to The Princess Royal.
They were also left in stitches when they spotted Zara munching on a biscuit before leaving for the event.
While highlighting how their mother-daughter bond has evolved over the years, he explained that Zara’s impeccable work ethic and personable nature could be a ‘huge help’ to Prince William when he eventually ascends the throne.