Sipping champagne and enjoying the Australian sun Zara Phillips certainly enjoyed her day at the races on Saturday. The Queen's granddaughter swapped the chilly English weather for the warm climes of Queensland spending time at the Magic Millions Race Day; for which she is an ambassador.Magic Millions is an initiative aimed at increasing the representation of female jockeys, trainers and owners in Australia. As a passionate horsewoman, Olympic medal winner and high-profile royal, Zara was the perfect choice to champion the cause and was clearly in her element as she mingled at the event.
Sun-kissed Zara sported a light floral dress appropriate for the hot temperatures and adorned her golden hair with a beige fascinator. The 31-year-old royal's stylish attire fitted in with her duty of presenting the Fashion on the Field Award to a particularly well-dressed attendee.In her speech Zara passed on her wise words of advice about dressing for the races, gleaned from many years experience. "My best tip for ladies going to the races" she said "would just be to wear a great hat and some comfy shoes. "The day also provided plenty of laughs. Zara was seen chatting and joking with Katie Page-Harvey, whose husband is Australian entrepreneur Gerry Harvey of electronics company Harvey Norman.
Inbetween watching races and presenting awards Zara found a moment to speak to an Australian newspaper about how her life as a royal meets her passion for eventing and horse riding. Zara, who won a silver medal during London's 2012 Olympic Games, said that her high profile has helped brands wishing to support her. "It's better for my sponsors that I am a royal" she remarked "because my name is more noticed than anyone else's. "Zara's trip to Australia closely follows a report by The Daily Telegraph which says Zara and her husband Mike Tindall have sold their classic £1.2 million Georgian house nestled in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire and are relocating to a new address just twenty minutes down the road. The new house is located in the grounds of Gatcombe Park – Zara's mother's sprawling country pile.
Princess Anne's beloved estate is home both to her family and to the eponymous horse trials she runs alongside her ex-husband and Zara's father, Captain Mark Phillips. The move would therefore mean Zara was both nearer to her family and able to indulge her love for horses.Zara's brother Peter, his wife Autumn and their two young daughters also live there, but as much as the family pull may have swayed Zara's decision to move, the selling point would no doubt be the stables and equestrian facilities that Gatcombe Park has at its disposal. Rugby player Mike and his royal wife previously lived in a two-bedroom cottage in Gatcombe Park estate for almost three years before finding their five bedroom Gloucestershire mansion. But they're now set to return to a bigger house on the premises as they perhaps think about expanding their family in the near future.
