Zara Tindall née Phillips and her husband Mike proudly looked on as Princess Anne opened a new grandstand at Cheltenham’s famous horse-racing stadium on Friday. The 65-year-old gave a speech to commemorate the opening of the five-and-a-half storey stand, named the Princess Royal Stand , which is part of a £45 million investment in the arena.Prince Charles' sister looked elegant in a long camel-coloured coat and Russian style fur hat. Adding some colour to the outfit she opted for a bright red scarf and accessorised her look with a two small delicate brooches which she wore on her coat.
Princess Anne opened the new Princess Royal Stand at Cheltenham Racecourse
Looking on as her mother addressed the crowd Zara was joined by her husband Mike and brother Peter Phillips. The Olympic medalist looked like she was enjoying the day out as she joked and giggled with her friends. Mia's mum looked elegant with her hair pulled back and wore an oversized tartan coat to keep out the cold weather.
To celebrate the opening of the new stand local bakers had recreated the horse-racing track and stands in cake form and presented it to the Princess Royal. Impressed and a little bit overwhelmed by the enormous cake Anne had to get on to her hands and knees to cut a slice of the cake, that was decorated with plastic horses and fake grass.
Proud daughter Zara watched her mother's speech with husband Mike
It is no secret that many members of the royal family are big fans of horse-riding. Zara has often thanked her mum for introducing her to horses and for supporting her in her equestrian career.As well as being an avid rider Princess Anne is the president of the World Horse Welfare organization and supports many equestrian charities. Writing in the book Horse Welfare: Use not Abuse, she said the care of horses is getting progressively worse because of “over-breeding, doping and indiscriminate horse trading.”