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zara tindall covers mouth top gear© Photo: BBC

Zara Tindall spins out of control in first royal Top Gear appearance – get the details

What a thrill ride!

Diane Shipley
Senior Online Writer
June 30, 2019
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Zara Tindall is the first royal to ever appear on motoring show Top Gear – and it's fair to say she makes quite an impression! In the episode, which airs at 8 PM on Sunday night on BBC 2, the Queen's granddaughter is shown taking control of the wheel of a Toyota GT86 as she drives her husband Mike in a race against the clock. In all of the excitement, though, the car spins out of control, flying off the racetrack and onto the surrounding grass.

zara tindall driving top gear mike tindall© Photo: BBC

Zara is the first royal to appear on the flagship BBC show

A laughing Zara naturally blames her husband for distracting her. The ex-rugby player is nervous that she's going to lose her grip, and so shouts, “no lifting, no lifting.” After they've safely landed on the grass, the mum-of-two responds, “That was your ‘no lifting’!”

READ MORE: See the adorable never-before-seen picture of the Queen casually posing with Zara Tindall on her wedding day

As well as driving at high speed, the show also tests their precision, asking the couple to compete in the Width Restrictor Challenge, in which they have to drive between bollards with just an inch of space on either side, with the show's new hosts Andrew Flintoff and Paddy McGuinness as their passengers. Although Zara is more recognised for being on horseback – she won silver at the 2012 London Olympics – she also loves to drive, and even has an HGV licence so she can transport horses to competitions and events.

zara tindall mike tindall laughing top gear© Photo: BBC

The Queen's granddaughter is more usually seen steering a horse than a car

She didn't compete at Royal Ascot earlier this month, but she and Mike attended as guests alongside the Queen, the Countess of Wessex and other family members, with Zara, 38, wowing the crowds in a ruffle-necked teal dress and Mike, 40 sporting an unusual hat-inside-a-hat sartorial statement.

RELATED: Did Zara Tindall bend the rules with her Ascot mini dress?

They appeared to be having a great time with Zara spotted hugging her uncle, Prince Charles and laughing with her cousin Princess Eugenie and the Duchess of Cambridge. The couple married in Scotland in 2011 and have two daughters: Mia Grace five, and Lena Elizabeth, who was born in June 2018 and recently celebrated her first birthday.

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