Mike Tindall has opened up about his daughter Mia stealing the spotlight in the Queen's 90th birthday portrait. The adorable two-year-old became the protagonist of the image which featured all of the monarch's great-grandchildren by holding up her great-grandmother's handbag. But according to the proud dad, it wasn't all plain sailing as the youngster was being "a bit naughty" before the photograph was taken.
Mia looked simply adorable as she held her great-grandmother's handbag
The rugby star, who revealed details of the photoshoot during an interview with Good Morning Britain, said: "It just happened at the right time. She was being a bit naughty. The queen got it quite right when she told her: 'Just hold the handbag now' and she did that. It ended up being a great photo for her.
"It will be something we'll always cherish." Proud dad Mike chatted about the photo
"It just turned out to be the right photo at the right time and it will be something we'll always cherish, I think."
Soon after the images were released in April, royal watchers were quick to point out that Mia's adorable pose utterly stole the show, with one person tweeting, "Mia Tindall, two, well and truly stole the Queen's thunder in the Annie Liebovitz portrait," while another wrote: "I cannot explain how obsessed I am with Mia Tindall RN. This is how I hold my bag on the Tube out of fear."
Mia turned two in January 2016
Mike, 37, also revealed that Mia grabbing the handbag was completely unplanned, saying: "The moment with Mia was completely spontaneous, it was not staged at all. She just picked up her great-granny's handbag and that was it."
He continued to chat about how he and his wife Zara Phillips encourage Mia, saying: "She's got quite a little personality on her, and we encourage that."
The photo, which was taken by iconic photographer Annie Liebovitz, featured Queen Elizabeth II with her five great- grandchildren, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, Isla and Savannah Phillips and Mia along with the monarch's youngest grandchildren, Viscount James Severn and Lady Louise Windsor.