5 Times Zara Tindall Proved She Inherited Princess Anne's Rebellious Nature

Anne, Princess Royal, may well be one of the toughest British royals of all time. For instance, in 1974 the royal family's security was compromised when a man named Ian Bell tried to kidnap Princess Anne. She and her then-husband, Captain Mark Phillips, were heading to Buckingham Palace after an event. Despite her bodyguard and driver both being injured, Anne didn't waver. When Bell demanded she exit the car, she reportedly said, "Not bloody likely" (via People).

If that doesn't indicate Anne's rebellious side, her legal troubles might. In a historic case from 2002, Anne pleaded guilty in the first criminal conviction for a member of the British royal family. According to BBC News, one of her English bull terriers named Dotty got away from Anne and her husband Tim Laurence after a walk at Windsor Great Park. They were trying to load her into their car when she ran off. Dotty attacked two children, and one was bitten and the other was scratched. They were shaken up and hospitalized. Each victim received £250 from Anne, who also paid a £500 fine and a £148 fee to the court, and she agreed to keep Dotty on a leash and get her trained.

Anne and her daughter Zara Tindall have similarities, such as that they both love horses and horseback riding and have competed in the Olympics. Another similarity is that Zara has gotten into some trouble and bent the rules in her life too.

When Zara Tindall arrived at the 50th birthday party of King Charles III (then Prince Charles) in 1998, she had some new bling in the form of a silver stud tongue piercing. The then-17-year-old student at Scotland's Gordonstoun School boarding school reportedly went to a tattoo parlor to get her tongue pierced, proving that teenage rebellion for royals isn't that different from teenage rebellion for the rest of the world. Speaking to Tatler in 2011, Zara said, "At least I didn't have it coming out of my nose, or anything" (via Hello!).

The new jewelry might have had some mothers clutching their pearls and fainting, but Princess Anne didn't bat an eye. According to Hello!, she reportedly only wanted to know if Zara's new piercing hindered her ability to talk.

By 1999, Zara was seen without the stud, so it did not last too long.

Princess Anne and Zara Tindall have both gotten into trouble for speeding while driving. Anne was once banned from driving for one month in 1990, and that's just one example. In another from August 2000, Anne drove 23 miles over the speed limit and was charged a £400 fine plus an additional £30. She also received five license penalty points. Anne pleaded guilty via a letter her lawyers took to court in March 2001. She was driving to an engagement when the cop car was behind her and didn't realize he wasn't escorting her. Buckingham Palace spokesperson said per ABC News: "The princess was keeping to a tight schedule. ... she has admitted that she was speeding at the time and she accepts that she is subject to the normal rule of the law and will be paying the fine."

In November 2019, Zara was caught going 21 miles per hour over the speed limit on a road her mother had also sped on before. At the January 2020 court case, Zara was unable to attend due to being in Australia at the time. She pleaded guilty via her lawyer, Barry Warburton, according to Gloucestershire Live. Since Zara had collected nine license penalty points before, this offense set her over the maximum of 12 and she was suspended from driving for six months. She was fined £666 plus an additional £151.

Another sign that Zara Tindall is a royal rebel just like her mother is that she wore black to a wedding. Historically, it was not a good choice to wear black as a wedding guest. Elaine Swann told Brides in 2024 that the color's link to funerals previously made it a non-socially-acceptable choice, although things have changed somewhat.

However, Zara was something of a trend-breaker (or perhaps trendsetter) when she wore black to Santa Palmer-Tomkinson and Simon Sebag-Montefiore's wedding in 1998. Her outfit consisted of a pinstripe blazer and miniskirt with a black hat and shoes, along with a choker necklace with mostly white beads. Some have considered it an inappropriate outfit for a royal wedding, but no one can deny it was quite stylish.

However, when Zara and Mike Tindall tied the knot in 2011, she stuck to tradition and wore a gorgeous white Stewart Parvin gown for the ceremony.

Zara Tindall and her husband Mike Tindall don't seem to be too worried about being caught by the paparazzi. For instance, they have been photographed exchanging cute PDA moments. They were also snapshotted very, very early in the morning before King Charles III's May 2023 coronation, walking around London perhaps after having some drinks. But how did they get there? First, Zara and Mike went to dinner with some other royals, including Zara's mother Princess Anne, the night before the coronation. They dined at a club called Oswald's. At 11 p.m., Zara and Mike continued the night without their family at The Arts Club.

According to the Daily Mail, an eyewitness reportedly saw the couple "stumbling in the street while taking in all the Coronation bunting before getting into a taxi home" at about 2 a.m. Mike spoke about that experience on Good Morning Britain, saying, "It was nice to have a little date night. When you've got three children, it's not always easy to have a little bit of time together to have a drink and chat" (via Express).

Zara Tindall is one of the royals to appear on reality TV. Whereas King Charles III has appeared on calming, sweet shows like "The Repair Shop," Zara and Mike Tindall were in a 2019 episode of "Top Gear." The royal couple got behind the wheel of racecars, and they were the first royals ever to be showcased on the program.

Another sign of Zara's inherited rebellious side is that she agreed to appear on the dancing competition show "Strictly Come Dancing" in 2008. Per The Telegraph, a source spoke with Sunday Mirror and felt it wouldn't be well-received by the royals, especially Queen Elizabeth II. They said, "The Queen may have something to say about Zara appearing on a live TV show every Saturday. Many in royal circles will find it inappropriate." Zara never ended up as a "Strictly Come Dancing" contestant, although her mother Princess Anne was on the "It's a Royal Knockout" (or "The Grand Knockout Tournament") charity event in 1987, along with Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson, and Prince Edward. Queen Elizabeth apparently did not like that broadcast, which many considered to be very silly.

However, professional dancer Nadiya Bychkova said being on "Strictly Come Dancing" is something Anne wants to do in an interview with The Sun. Maybe Zara and Anne will both rebel by competing on the dancing show.