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The House Of Windsor |
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Zara Phillips
The second child and only daughter of Princess Anne and Captain Mark Phillips, Zara Phillips was born on 15 May, 1981. She was baptized Zara Anne Elizabeth on 27th July of that year. Prince Charles has been said to have suggested the name Zara, which is Greek and means bright as the dawn. The Queen offered to bestow titles on both of Princess Anne's children by letters patent, but Anne declined the offer, wishing them to lead as normal lives as possible and to shield them from media interest.
Zara has a brother Peter Phillips and two half sisters, Felicity Tonkin, born in 1985 as a result of her father's extra-marital relationship and Stephanie Phillips, the child of her father's second marriage. Zara was educated at Port Regis Preparatory School in Shaftesbury, Dorset later attending Gordonstoun, the Scottish school also attended by her grandfather, uncles and brother. After finishing her secondary education she had a gap year, three months of which were spent in Australlia and New Zealand, where some of her wilder antics were eagerly followed by the paparazzi. Zara later enrolled at Exeter University and qualified as a physiotherapist.
Zara Phillips
Like her mother, Zara is an accomplished horsewoman, she finished second in the Burghley Horse Trials in 2003. Her hopes of competing in the 2004 Olympics were dashed when her horse, Toytown, suffered a leg injury in 2003. Zara went on to win the Individual European Eventing Championship in 2005.
Said to be very close to her cousin Prince William, Zara, an attractive blonde, with a strong resemblance to her mother, Princess Anne, can be something of a rebel and once had her tongue pierced. She had a long and turbulent on-off relationship with jockey, Richard Johnson and their frequent and sometimes violent arguments were closely followed by the press, the couple split up in November, 2003. Her current partner, whom she lives with, is rugby player, Mike Tindall. She currently carries out royal duties on behalf of the Royal Family.
Zara recently won two gold medals in the European Eventing championships, displaying superb horsemanship and echoing her mother's victory 31 years earlier. In December, 2006, again following in her mother's footsteps, she was named Sports Personality of the Year, Zara is said to have commented "To win this is absolutely amazing.".