Zara Tindall’s 5 Most Rebellious Moments as She Celebrates Her 45th Birthday

As Zara Tindall celebrates her 45th birthday this May 15th, let us look back at the moments that earned her a reputation as one of the royal family’s biggest rule-breakers. Over the years, Tindall has built a reputation for doing things a little differently, whether it was debuting a tongue piercing as a teenager, landing in trouble over speeding, or simply ignoring the stiff royal image. She has always stood out from the rest of the monarchy, and that is exactly why she is the resident rebel of the Firm.

At just 17, Tindall managed to shock royal fans by turning up to then-Prince Charles III’s 50th birthday party with a tongue piercing. While studying at Gordonstoun in Scotland, she reportedly visited a tattoo parlor and got a silver stud added to her tongue, instantly giving herself a “royal rebel” reputation. It might have raised a few eyebrows at the palace, but her mother, Anne, the Princess Royal, apparently was not bothered by it at all.

Speeding tickets are stressful enough, but for Tindall, one of them turned into major headlines. The royal had been caught speeding in 2019, driving at 91 mph in a 70 mph zone. Since she already had points on her license from earlier offenses, the latest incident pushed her over the limit. The result was a six-month driving ban in 2020. She was in Australia at the time of the court hearing and pleaded guilty through her lawyer. However, the drama only added to her reputation as the royal who never quite sticks to the script.

Wearing black to a wedding might not sound like a big deal now, but back in 1998, it definitely turned heads. While attending the wedding of Santa Palmer-Tomkinson and Simon Sebag-Montefiore, Tindall skipped the usual soft royal fashion choices and showed up in a bold black outfit complete with a pinstripe blazer, a miniskirt, and a white choker necklace. Although the look led to many conversations, she pulled it off effortlessly.

Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall have never really cared much about looking perfectly polished all the time, and their PDA moments and nights out are proof of it. Ahead of King Charles's 2023 coronation, they even made headlines after reportedly being spotted wandering around London at 2 AM, drunk. Mike told Good Morning Britain, “It was nice to have a little date night… When you've got three children, it's not always easy to have a little bit of time together.”

Zara Tindall has also never shied away from TV appearances that most royals would probably avoid. In 2019, she and Mike appeared on Top Gear and became the first royals ever to be featured on the show, happily racing cars on camera. Long before that, she was even linked to Strictly Come Dancing, which reportedly caused a bit of panic in royal circles. She ended up not joining the show, but the fact that she even considered it was enough to get people talking.