- Royal mother-daughter duo recently attended a horse welfare conference
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Any suggestion that the Princess Royal is not affectionate was put to bed after an old clip of her and daughter Zara Tindall was posted online.
Social media users were reacting to archival footage of Anne's emotional hug with Zara, then 24, after she was crowned European Eventing Champion at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire 20 years ago.
After Zara galloped to victory during the cross-country event, Anne, then 55, who is typically guarded, became visibly emotional.
The Princess Royal, who was dressed in a brown coat, rushed to give Zara a warm embrace in a public gesture that has rarely been seen before.
Anne, who also won gold at the European Eventing Championships in 1971, was every bit the 'proud mother' as Zara bent forward to receive her gold medal in what she has since described as a 'fairytale'.
Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told the Daily Mail that, until this moment, Princess Anne was perceived as 'severe and imperious' while recalling how she told reporters to 'naff off' when they photographed her after she fell from her horse in 1982.
This was what made the 'sheer, undiluted joy' of her and Zara's hug 'a delight to watch', he continued.
Describing Anne's reaction as 'pleasure unalloyed', Mr Fitzwilliams said: 'What was significant, and softened Princess Anne's image, was when the public saw them rejoicing together and hugging each other, and therefore could rejoice with them all the more.'
Any suggestion that the Princess Royal is not affectionate was put to bed after an old clip of her and daughter Zara Tindall was posted online
They were reacting to archival footage of Anne's emotional hug with Zara, then 24, after she was crowned European Eventing Champion at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire 20 years ago
Over two decades later since it was filmed, the clip has left royal fans delighted as they gushed about what an 'amazing mother' Princess Anne is, while celebrating her 'special bond' with Zara.
Before the European championships at Blenheim, Zara - who was keenly following in her mother's equestrian footsteps - had obtained a sponsorship deal for eventing and had been runner up at Burghley Horse Trials.
However, her beloved horse Toytown had been injured in training, which meant she could not compete in the Olympics in 2004.
But Zara and Toytown - who she affectionately referred to as 'Noddy' or 'Ginger' - made a spectacular comeback as they triumphed at the European Eventing Championships the following year.
Considering Anne had achieved the same feat in 1971, there was public pleasure that her daughter - to whom she had wisely not given a title - was following in her footsteps so successfully, said Mr Fitzwilliams.
It appeared that no one was happier than the Princess herself, as Anne congratulated and hugged Zara in a rarely-seen public display of emotion that struck a chord with royal fans online.
'I was always under the impression that Princess Anne said she wasn't maternal,' one comment on TikTok read. 'What an amazing mom she made.'
'[Anne] seems to be such an affectionate mum,' another social media user wrote.
A third added that Anne and Zara - who recently made a rare royal outing together - were 'not just mother and daughter but best friends'.
Anne's rarely-seen public display of emotion struck a chord with royal fans online
One TikTok user called Zara, who was dating her now-husband Mike Tindall when she won the championships, her mother's 'double' as Mr Fitzwilliams pointed out another sporting achievement she shared with Anne.
He highlighted how Zara was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006, just as Anne had won the title for her own equestrian feats 18 years prior.
These accolades were the subject of a special edition of the BBC's Inside Sport programme to commemorate Anne's 60th birthday on August 15, 2010.
The documentary also touched on her close bond with her children, Zara and Peter Phillips, as they praised her 'invaluable' life advice in their first ever joint interview.
Zara, who today shares three children with husband Mike, told the BBC that 'I would like to be as good a mother as she's been' during an emotional moment in the show.
Peter added that Anne was also 'great fun' and 'the one laughing the loudest', as Zara told viewers 'she loves a good dance, she's good on her feet'.
Zara and former rugby union player Mike, 47, are parents to daughters, Mia, 11, and Lena Elizabeth, seven, and son Lucas Philip, four.
In addition to Anne's love of sport, it appears Zara has also inherited her wicked sense of humour as the former Olympian previously told The Telegraph why she and Mike picked the name Lena for their younger daughter.
Anne in a still from a special edition of the BBC's Inside Sport programme to mark her 60th birthday on August 15, 2010
Zara, who today shares three children with husband Mike, told the BBC that 'I would like to be as good a mother as she's been' during an emotional moment in the show. Pictured: Anne congratulating Zara after her success at the European Eventing Championships in 2005
'I liked the name Elena but I didn’t want her initials to be "ET" so she's Lena,' Zara quipped, referring to the friendly alien from Steven Spielberg's 1982 film E.T.
It comes after Zara, who isn't a working member of the Firm, joined her mother for a rare royal outing last month.
The mother-daughter duo, who have a shared love of all things equine, attended the World Horse Welfare conference at London's Royal Geographical Society on November 21.
Whether it was due to Zara or not, the Princess Royal appeared ebullient as she shook hands with aides, as royal watchers noted that Zara brings out a side to Anne that we don't often see.
Social media users praised Zara for her 'down-to-earth' attitude after they noticed the mother-of-three dash out of Horse Guards while still munching on a biscuit.
'Zara with the biscuit to go!' one fan wrote.
Reacting to Zara and Anne's double act, the Daily Mail's Diary Editor Richard Eden agreed that it went down a treat.
'Personally, I would like to see Zara taking on more public duties in the future.'
Noting how the Princess Royal supported the late Queen Elizabeth II during public engagements, Mr Eden felt Zara and Anne's relationship had evolved similarly over the years.
He also explained how Zara, who has previously praised her family's work ethic, could be a 'huge help' to Prince William when he ascends the throne.
'Look at the way that Queen Elizabeth was supported so well by her own cousins, such as the Duke of Kent, who is still working at the age of 90,' he added.
