Zara Tindall 'very close' to brother's girlfriend after sweet moment at horse event

Zara Tindall is said to be “very close” to her brother’s new girlfriend who “keeps an eye” on her children.

It comes as former England rugby international Mike Tindall was left on parenting duties as he watched Zara competing at the Burgley Horse Trials. Mike, 45, was joined by Zara’s brother Peter Philips and his girlfriend Harriet Sperling.

On-lookers say Mike was in “full-on dad mode” as he kept an eye on youngsters Lena and Lucas. Eldest child Mia, 10, was allowed to roam the site more freely, equipped with an Apple Airtag to stop her from getting lost.

HELLO! reports Harriet at one point is said to have stepped in to catch a lively Lucas. A source said: “Peter and Harriet are clearly getting on very well and she seems to be close to Mike and Zara too.”

Unfortunately for King Charles’s niece, she took a fall during the horse-riding event. It meant she had to withdraw from the cross country event during the trials.

NHS nurse and freelance writer Harriet made her public debut with Peter in May at the Badminton Horse Trials to cheer on Zara. The couple later appeared together at the Beaufort Polo Club in Gloucestershire.

Since then, Harriet has been seen with Peter at Royal Ascot - a firm favourite of the Royal Family - and Wimbledon. She was recently seen attending the launch of Cooking and The Crown, the book by Queen Camilla’s son Tom Parker Bowles.

Peter, Princess Anne’s oldest child, separated from his now ex-wife Autumn Kelly in 2019, with their divorce finalised in 2021. They share children Savannah and Isla Elizabeth together.

Harriet meanwhile has a daughter of her own. Writing under her maiden name Harriet Sanders in Woman Alive, she spoke of the “uncertainty” she faced raising her daughter as a single mother.

She said: “The unique relationship between a single mother and her child is forged in the fires of struggles and victories. It’s a bond characterised by a love and survival against the odds.”