Zara Tindall has said that she felt "guilty” about returning to her sporting career after having children .
It was hard to “get her body back” after giving birth , the late queen’s granddaughter said in an interview with her husband Mike.
An Olympic equestrian, Zara spoke about her three children — Mia, Lena and Lucas Tindall — as part of a new YouTube series called Mike Drop in collaboration with the Magic Millions horse-racing event.
“After having Mia [in 2014], I was like, ‘right this is my goal, this is was I need to get back’ (to riding)," said Princess Royal Anne’s daughter.
“I had a good horse to come back to which is great for your confidence, so I wanted to get back for him as well.
"Trying to have a goal is probably something that I always need. I always need goals in my life and set many goals in my life all the time.
“But it is hard getting your body back when you’ve been riding for 30 years or whatever it is, 25 years, and then your body just completely not doing that and your muscles doing nothing and stretching and creating an amazing thing, but it’s just completely different.
Zara Tindall style evolution - in pictures Zara Phillips, now Tindall, wearing a demure black dress, at the 'Sound of Music' opening night with Lisa McCune and John Waters at the Lyric Theatre, London on November 1, 1999. Getty Images
Zara Phillips in a grey hoodie and gilet to watch the horse racing at Chepstow Races on October 18, 2000. Allsport
Zara Phillips, wearing a silver dress and hat, with then-boyfriend Richard Johnson arrive for Ladies Day at Royal Ascot on June 20, 2002. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a black dress and white pashmina shall, attends the naming ceremony of P&O Cruises' 'Adonia and Oceana' on May 21, 2003 in Southampton, England. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a black dress with a floral print, and Richard Johnson attend the first day of Royal Ascot on June 17, 2003. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a studded brown jacket and jeans, leaves the Betty Jackson during London Fashion Week on September 22, 2003. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a black coat and a baker boy hat, attends the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 16, 2004. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a black coat, thigh-high boots and a bucket hat, attends the Cheltenham Gold Cup on March 18, 2004. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a denim skirt and a pink rugby shirt, walks with cousin Prince Harry at the Gatcombe Horse Trials on August 8, 2004. Getty Images
Prince William and Zara Phillips, wearing a white fur coat and a leather western hat, leave after attending the Christmas Day service at Sandringham Church on December 25, 2004. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a belted dress with a 60s-style pattern, arrives for the wedding of Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall at The Guildhall, Windsor on April 9, 2005. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a turquoise top and white trousers, leads her horse to a veterinary inspection before qualifying for competition at Bramham Park International Horse Trials on June 7, 2006 in Yorkshire. Andrew Stuart
Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips, wearing a black suit with a velvet jacket, arrive at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards on December 10, 2006. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a navy dress, and Mike Tindall arrive at the Glamour Women of the Year Awards on June 5, 2007. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a navy dress and floral headpiece, attends the Emirates Melbourne Cup Day 2009 on November 3, 2009 in Melbourne, Australia. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a grey hoodie, navy gilet, jeans and leather Ugg boots, and Mike Tindall pose outside their home after announcing their engagement on December 21, 2010. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a one-shoulder black dress, attends the Ice & Diamonds Send-Off Ball at Battersea Power Station on March 3, 2011 in London. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a silver coat dress and dark grey head piece, and Mike Tindall leave the wedding reception for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at Buckingham Palace on April 29, 2011. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a striped cardigan and jeans, and Mike Tindall leave their wedding rehearsal at Canongate Kirk on July 29, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images
Zara Phillips, wearing a one-shouldered grey and white dress, celebrating at her pre-wedding party on the 'Royal Yacht Britannia' on July 29, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Getty Images
Zara Phillips arrives for her wedding to Mike Tindall with her father, Captain Mark Phillips, at Canongate Kirk on July 30, 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland. Her wedding dress was designed by Stewart Parvin. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a purple gown with a green belt, and Mike Tindall attend the Rugby For Heroes Charity Gala Dinner at Twickenham Stadium on May 9, 2012. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a navy shift dress with necklace detail collar, and Mike Tindall attend a Range Rover event on September 6, 2012 in London. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a grey patterned dress, poses during the Magic Millions Opening Night cocktail party at Surfers Paradise Foreshore on January 8, 2013 in Australia. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a marble patterned dress, attends the Magic Millions Raceday at Gold Coast Turf Club on January 12, 2013. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a navy dress and hat, and husband Mike Tindall leave the Chapel Royal in St James's Palace, after the christening of Prince George on October 23, 2013. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a blue and white floral dress, attends the Magic Millions Race Day at Gold Coast Turf Club on January 10, 2015. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a white bolero over a black dress, attends Royal Ascot on June 19, 2015. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a navy and blue floral dress, a service of Thanksgiving to celebrate Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birthday at St Paul's Cathedral on June 10, 2016. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a white broderie dress, and Mike Tindall pictured at the Magic Millions Polo Event on January 8, 2017 in Gold Coast, Australia. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a white dress with a black and green headpiece, and Mike Tindall attend the Magic Millions Raceday on January 14, 2017 in Australia. Getty Images
Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall, wearing a teal and black dress, arrive at St George's Chapel at Windsor Castle before the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on May 19, 2018. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a royal blue dress and a light blue headpiece, and Mike Tindall arrive ahead of the wedding of Princess Eugenie of York and Jack Brooksbank at St George's Chapel, Windsor on October 12, 2018. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a black, white and red poppy print dress and a clutch by Kate Spade, and Mike Tindall attend the Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club on January 12, 2019. Getty Images
Mike Tindall and Zara Tindall, wearing a cream coat and blush hat, attend the Easter Sunday service at St George's Chapel on April 21, 2019 in Windsor, England. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a light pink silk Rebecca Vallance dress with an orange pewter headpiece by Millinery Jill and a Kate Spade bag, and Mike Tindall attend the Magic Millions Raceday at the Gold Coast Turf Club on January 11, 2020. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a black and white polka dot dress with with a bespoke Juliette Botterill Millinery headpiece, and Mike Tindall attend Royal Ascot on June 15, 2021 in Ascot, England. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a burgundy coat and navy hat, attends Cheltenham Racecourse on January 29, 2022. PA Wire
Mike and Zara Tindall, wearing a purple coat, leaving the service of Thanksgiving for the life of the Duke of Edinburgh at Westminster Abbey, London, with daughter Mia, on March 29, 2022. PA Wire
Zara Tindall, wearing a navy and white polka dot dress by LK Bennett, attends the Easter service at St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle on April 17, 2022. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a grey and red patterned BA&SH dress, attends the Tusk Ball 2022 at the Natural History Museum, London on May 19, 2022. Getty Images
Zara Tindall, wearing a pink Laura Green London coat dress and co-ordinated hat, and Mike Tindall arrive for a service of Thanksgiving for the reign of Queen Elizabeth II at St Paul’s Cathedral on June 3, 2022. AP Photo
Zara Tindall, wearing a blue lace dress by Diane von Furstenberg, arrives on Derby Day during the Cazoo Derby Festival 2022 at Epsom Racecourse, Surrey on June 4, 2022. PA Wire
Zara Tindall, wearing a floral Zimmermann dress, at the platinum jubilee pageant held outside Buckingham Palace, in London, Sunday June 5, 2022. She is sat with daughter Lena Tindall on her lap, behind Prince William, with Prince George and Princess Charlotte. AP Photo
“To try and get your body back to where it was I found hard work, but she was along for the ride as well with us, she is very much taken around to the shows, which is kind of easier when you have one.
“I found it hard getting yourself back to it, but mentally you feel guilty as a mother leaving your child to go and do something else.”
Zara told of feeling guilty “all the time” about being away from her children, saying she would ring Mike “every day”.
Mike then asked if she was able to give her sporting career “everything you wanted to give it?”
“The stuff that I missed was down to another great chapter in my life and I’m very lucky that I could run them alongside each other," Zara replied.
Royal wedding, Zara Phillips marries Mike Tindall - in pictures Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall got married at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh on July 30, 2011. EPA
Princess Beatrice arrives at the venue for the wedding. Getty
From left, Princess Eugenie, Princess Beatrice and Prince Andrew at the wedding venue. Getty
Queen Consort Camilla, who was then the Duchess of Cornwall, arrives. Getty
Kate, Princess of Wales, who was then the Duchess of Cambridge, arrives at the wedding venue. Getty
Bridesmaids at Canongate Kirk ahead of Zara Philips and Mike Tindall's wedding. Getty
Princess Anne, the mother of the bride, with Phil Tindall, father of the groom. Getty
Prince Harry at the wedding. Getty
Zara Phillips arrives at the venue for her wedding. Getty
Prince Andrew at the event. AFP
Queen Elizabeth II arrives. AFP
Phillips and Tindall leave the venue after the ceremony. AP Photo
Prince William and his wife Kate, then the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, at the venue. Reuters
“I think I’m lucky that in our sport I could do both and still be able to ride at the top has been a massive drive for me.
"And I think, I’m hoping, that it makes me a better mother because they can experience it with us and with me and all those characteristics of that life.”
Zara competed in the London 2012 Olympics , winning a team eventing silver medal that was presented by her mother, Princess Anne.
Also in the 30-minute interview, she spoke about growing up with horses and her parents’ love for riding.
Updated: January 25, 2023, 12:24 AM