The royal family switching up their hair colour, experimenting with style and even getting tattoos is nothing new, but no body modification was as rebellious as Zara Tindall's tongue piercing.
The Princess Royal's daughter was just 17 when she decided to debut a metallic tongue stud to her royal family at King Charles' 50th birthday party back in 1998. Looking back on the bold beauty trend, Zara laughed off her teenage years as being a "royal rebel" in an unearthed interview with Tatler from 2011.
© ShutterstockThe Olympic equestrian was first photographed with the striking piercing at the Doubleprint British Horse Trials Championships. Laughing and exposing the glistening metal barbell, Zara also rocked a platinum blonde bob in the latter of her teen years.
© Shutterstock"At least I didn't have it coming out of my nose, or anything," she said to Tatler, adding that these days she's more likely to be found at home with her children and cooking spaghetti bolognese for her husband, Mike Tindall.
It is believed that Zara obtained the piercing at a tattoo parlour close to the Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland, where she was a boarding school student.
Despite her "rebellious" new look making headlines back in the nineties, Zara appeared to remove the silver barbell in her tongue rather quickly, having been photographed just one year later in 1999 with the stud removed.
Princess Anne, was reportedly unfazed by her daughter's shocking new look, and simply asked if she was able to speak properly with the invasive accessory.
Former royal butler Grant Harrold, who worked in the royal households in the 1990s recalled the moment he saw Zara's new tongue piercing.
Speaking on behalf of Spin Genie, Grant told The Express: "She was the very first royal I met. In Scotland I was working and it was the weekend. It was all in the press that she had her tongue pierced and it was so exciting because when she was speaking to us, I suddenly saw the tongue piercing and I was like ‘Oh, I’ve seen it’.
© PA ImagesGrant added: "She’s down to earth, she’s fun, she’s naughty. The deal that was done back in the day was Anne didn’t want her children to have titles so they could have normal lives and do normal things, that’s what she wanted."
