Zara Tindall has spoken about a moment between Sir Andy Murray and her cousin Prince William at the 2012 London Olympics. The Olympian, who won silver as part of Great Britain's Equestrian Eventing team, shared the anecdote on the Talk Horse podcast with hosts Pippa Funnell and Tristan Phipps.
Olympic Village encounter
Zara, 45, explained that her position as an athlete meant she spent much of her time in the Olympic Village alongside other competitors, including tennis player Andy Murray. Asked how the World Championships compared to the Olympics, she discussed the major differences before recounting what happened between Murray and the future King.
Zara said: "It's just different numbers. It was incredible. I think, you know, to be on home turf as well was just amazing and also for us we were really, like, in the mix. So yeah and we were all in the [Olympic] Village, you know, living Village life. And Andy Murray was talking to [Prince] William and saying how he loved William and I was like, 'My God'."
Memories of the Games
Returning to the topic of competing in the once-in-a-lifetime event, Zara opened up about one of the most memorable parts of the experience. She said: "It was just such an incredible experience and I always say when people ask me, one of the most amazing parts is going into the dining hall. To have so many different nations, religions, from all over, from wherever, sat in that dining hall, eating, preparing to win their gold medals or compete at the highest level."
This was Zara's third attempt at competing in the Olympics, having missed out on Athens and Beijing due to injuries to her horse. She also told the hosts about an interaction with family members who had come to watch, including how her mother Princess Anne presented her with the silver medal.
On this, Made in Chelsea star Tristan pointed out: "And then obviously, you know, to get a fantastic result, to get silver and then have your mother present. That's very special." In her reply, hinting that her family has not always attended her competitions, Zara joked: "Actually, some of my family came to watch for once, which is nice.....Of course it was amazing to receive the medal from my mum."
Although Zara did not compete at the 2016 Rio Games, she remains involved with horses and attends horse-related events such as Royal Ascot.
