As birthday girl Mia Tindall turns 10, we look back at nine of her tremendous traits that have gone under the radar as she celebrates this milestone.
Mia is the eldest daughter of Zara and Mike Tindall, who have three children together. She has a younger sister Lena, five and a younger brother Lucas, who is aged two. The couple who have been married almost 13 years, met in Australia in a bar in Sydney's Manly Wharf back in 2023. The family lives in a property on the Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire, owned by Zara's mother Princess Anne. They moved there shortly after the arrival of Mia on 17th January 2014, leaving their Cheltenham house behind.
Zara, Mike, Mia and Lena recently stepped out during the Royal Family's Christmas Day walkabout at Sandringham where we saw sociable Prince Louis break a royal protocol when he held hands with Mia - breaking the normal sibling-and-parent based hand-holding. And it appears the two are good friends, as they previously hit it off interacting together when they were sat in the royal box watching the Queen's Platinum Jubilee in 2022. The double-act could well be ones to watch at future royal events, as we look at the nine terrific personality traits young Mia has...
1. Thrill seeker
Mia appears to be following in her father Mike's daring footsteps, as a former contestant on I'm A Celebrity... he faced bushtucker trials and had to face his fears with the Critter Cruise at the very start of the show. And it appears his eldest daughter isn't scared to try out new things. In 2022 she attended the Festival of British Eventing and was snapped holding on tight and screaming as she rode a Ferris wheel. Last year, at the same event, she was pictured playing on a bungee trampoline and appeared to be loving every minute as she showed off her acrobatic skills spinning upside down on the elastic-hung harness. Lots of energy to burn, go girl!
2. Mummy's little helper
Being an older child can mean that you are responsible for entertaining and keeping a watchful eye on your younger siblings and Mia passes this test with flying colours. Not only has she been spotted picking up her younger brother Lucas, and sitting him on her knee - but she couldn't resist swinging him around like an aeroplane and playing wheelbarrows with him on the grass during the Festival of British Eventing. And he didn't seem to complain.
3. Has some scene-stealing moments like Prince Louis
Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis were pictured sticking their tongues out when they were younger, and Mia also expressed her cheeky side. Most recently at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Pageant where she was seen pulling faces at her cousin Prince Louis as he turned around from the seat in front to socialise with her. She also couldn't resist throwing her arms in the air and dancing to ABBA, as the parade went past. And sticking her tongue out is something she started when she was younger too - at the Whatley Manor Horse Trials Mia can be seen curling her tongue up - a party trick that many children have yet to master. And she cheekily pulled her tongue out at a little boy called Charlie Meade, the son of event rider Harry Meade as they stood holding hands.
And it appears that Mia has a 'naughty' streak in her and if you look back at the Queen's 90th Birthday portrait in 2016, Mia famously held on to the Queen's handbag when she was just two years old. After the pictures were released, dad Mike opened up about his daughter's big moment. He told Good Morning Britain viewers, "It just happened at the right time. She was being a bit naughty. The Queen got it quite right when she told her: 'Just hold the handbag now' and she did that. It ended up being a great photo for her."
4. Is a fan of a freebie (aren't we all!?)
Goodie bags were handed out at the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and Mia and Princess Charlotte were pictured delving straight into them to see what they contained. Each Fortnum & Mason bag contained a Queen Jubilee Platinum Pageant commemorative programme, a packet of dried mixed berries, and a natural spring, delightfully still refillable water bottle. Plus a container with five silky tea bags, a box of Tofffolossus biscuits (milk chocolate coated toffee biscuits), and a small box of two milk and dark salted caramel truffles. Mia excitedly took out the items and showed them to Princess Charlotte who was seated in front of her.
And like most kids, Mia loves a soft cuddly toy - not only has she been pictured clutching a toy koala bear when she was younger but she has also been spotted with a bunny and teddy bear, and has even taken a bright green cuddly toy that she might have won at the fairground on a carousel ride with her. She's getting quite a collection!
5. Daddy’s girl
Mike has admitted that first-born Mia is a "daddy's girl". Speaking at the time Zara was pregnant with their third child (who happened to be son Lucas), Mike told The Times, he said: "It was always an interesting question whether we'd go for a third and I think both of us wanted a boy, so hopefully we'll get one. We're not finding out - I think it's better that way. At the end of the day, you're just happy if it's got ten fingers and ten toes and it's healthy. And Mia's such a Daddy's girl, it's been brilliant. I've loved having girls."
And you can see just how much she loves her dad, as at the age of eight, she still chose to sit on Mike's knee but we have a feeling this time it might be more to torment him - and after all, she is now too grown up to sit on his shoulders.
6. Loves sport
Both her parents are sporty - with Mike's former professional Rugby past and Zara's medal-winning horse jumping, it comes as no surprise that Mia has a love of football, polo, horse riding and swimming. Speaking exclusively to HELLO! in February, he shared: "Both Mia and Lena go to Minchinhampton rugby club on a Sunday and they are only nine and four so we've got to give them a bit of time before the pressure comes on but they love all sports and they play rugby as well."
Mia also loves to swim. Zara shared of travelling to Australia, "Mia loves swimming. Of course, the climate allows you to be able to go swimming all day every day. When we first took her to Australia she was 11 months old; we kickstarted her love of water."
8. Sweet tooth
Most kids have a sweet tooth and just because Mia is royal, doesn't mean she's grown up without any of the typical treats parents struggle to say no to. From candyfloss, and ice cream to the classic pick 'n' mix and eating crepes - this royal child has had them all. Mike opened up on his podcast The Good, the Bad and The Rugby, about daughters Mia and Lena tucking into sweets during the Platinum Jubilee show where they sat in the stands alongside their family and other members of the Royal Family. He said, "My two are always mischievous, so it was trying to keep a lid on," during the pageant and that all the royal children suffered a 'sugar high' from eating sweets. "There were a lot of sweets out back though, so there was a real sugar high," he added. 'They're all young… it's a long time. But as any parent knows you just do whatever needs to be done.'
9. Style Queen - (she even has her name printed on her SOCKS!)
As Mia matures, it looks like she's started to go through a headband craze, after wearing several of the hair accessories for royal engagements. But it's her personalised lesser-known accessory that will have parents filled with envy - her socks have her name printed on them. Not only does this help make sorting out the washing a breeze - but, if the socks ever get left behind at school, it should make light work of the lost property.
7. Likes Nature
Mike told The Express that his eldest loves horse riding with her cousins Savannah and Isla. "I love that they have the opportunity of working with animals, being outside, all the traditions that you learn with treating an animal," he said. "Looking after your stuff, looking after the animals and learning good balance, all those skills you learn - but I think Mia will probably want to do her own thing anyway."
In other royal news, Kate Middleton’s birthday ‘heartbreak’ over son Prince George is revealed as she turns 42, but it’s her 45th birthday she should really be worried about and what's in store for the royals' family life in 2024 - from rifts and feeling remorse one couple is set to step away from the limelight (and it’s not Harry and Meghan)
