In a candid interview, Zara Tindall once opened up about how she really felt growing up on Princess Anne’s estate in Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire- and the decision not to give her a royal title.

The Princess Royal’s only daughter grew up in a Grade II listed property, which contains five bedrooms, four guest rooms, four reception rooms, as well a huge conservatory.

Along with the ample space, the property offers panoramic views of the rolling countryside on which it sits, with Zara revealing why the grand estate was a “great place” to grow up.

In an interview with ITV in 2023, equestrian Zara was quizzed about the Festival of British Eventing which takes place on the estate.

She said: “It was a great place to grow up around horses, looking after animals – the respect and partnership that you have to build with the animals, it teaches you so much you know growing up and as a kid.”

Speaking about life outdoors and growing up with Princess Anne, Zara added: “It really is an amazing life starting to be outside as well, you know, all the time.”

Along with her husband, Mike Tindall, the mother of three also seems keen to continue the same sentiment for her own children, Mia, Lena and Lucas.

She told People: “I think just the passion and love for horses that’s been passed down through our family, we’re very lucky to have them in our lives. Being able to do it every day is incredible and it’s such an amazing sport.”

A love of horses runs deep in the royal family, and the late Queen Elizabeth II was also fond of the animals. Zara says her happiest family memories around horses are all about that bond.

She added: “Any equestrian sport, that partnership between the horse and rider, or an owner and the horse is, it’s incredible. We’re very lucky to work with horses.”

The Princess Royal was the first member of the Royal Family to have competed in the Olympic Games when she rode the Queen’s horse, Goodwill, in the equestrian three-day event at the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

As director of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, the Princess was involved in London’s successful bid to host the 2012 Olympic Games.

During this time, Zara also followed in her mother’s footsteps by competing in the same equestrian three-day event at the 2012 London Olympics.

Great Britain won silver in the event and the Princess Royal presented the team, including her daughter, with their medals.

Zara has previously revealed she is “lucky” not to have been given a royal title or be forced to become a working royal. Interviewed by former rugby player, Rob Burrow on his Total Sport podcast, she said: “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. We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.”

She added: “My family has a great work ethic as well which I’m hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day.

“Hopefully, we can pass it onto our kids. Now, my brother and my cousins love to go back and do the same things and I hope that our children have the same experiences that we did when we were growing up.”

When Princess Anne welcomed her son Peter in 1977, she decided with her then-husband Mark Philips that they didn’t want to give their children the HRH titles they were entitled to in a bid to give them as a normal upbringing as possible.