Princess Anne's rare 'gift of freedom' to Zara Tindall helped them both | Royal | News

Princess Anne and her only daughter Zara Tindall have a lot in common, but the couple are not often photographed together.

That's because Zara is not a working member of the royal family, while Princess Anne primarily works in a royal capacity, meaning the mother-daughter duo are often separated.

Despite their professional differences, the two remain close and have a strong bond. They both have common passions, such as horse riding.

Zara is a rider and Princess Anne also loves horses and appears at many equestrian events, most recently at the Riding for the Disabled Association.

There are other unspoken bonds between mother and daughter too. In an exclusive interview with Express.co.uk, body language expert Judi James analysed the deep connection they share as mother and daughter.

The royal expert commented: “Sightings of these two women together are quite rare because Zara is not an active member of the royal family. This means we are more likely to see them together at royal equestrian events such as Ascot or the biggest royal events such as weddings and funerals.

“And when that happens, Anne will tend to be at the top of the top tier of the royal company, while Zara and her family will often arrive with the other family groups.

“However, when we see her at family gatherings, a surprising side of Anne emerges as she fulfils the role of grandmother and mother rather than princess. Normally she is serious and quite imposing, but she shows her tactile, fun side and the older she gets, the more we see Zara, Mike and their children, and Peter and his girls, bring out that side.”

And not working as a royal was a gift from Princess Anne to Zara, said the expert.

She explained: “Both Zara and Anne had formal, royal upbringings, but Zara received the gift of freedom from her mother when she elevated her to the status of non-royal, while Anne was a pillar of the Company with a life of duty and hard work.

“When she was younger, Anne's body language always showed her as her father's daughter, with mirrored behaviors that betrayed like-mindedness. But both Anne and her mother had stoicism in their DNA, and as the two women grew older, they tended to dress similarly and spend time together, using signals of shared humor, both like friends and like mother and daughter.”