Even the queen's great granddaughter has to learn to dot her I's and cross her T's.
In a new interview with Hello! magazine, Mike Tindall, husband to the queen's eldest granddaughter Zara Tindall, opened up about homeschooling and outdoor playtime with their kids, as well as what it's like being quarantined on Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire.
Speaking of home schooling their oldest daughter, Mia, 6, the former rugby player said the family sticks to a busy schedule.
"We have good days and days where it feels harder," Mike told the publication. "But we've all had to adjust to a new normal. In the morning we focus on the basics – Maths, English, reading and writing – and in the afternoon it's more about playtime, sports, and being outside."
"My overriding take-away is a whole new respect for teachers. I always knew they did a great job but this just brings it into sharp focus," Mike said, and we don't believe any truer words have ever been spoken.
Zara and Mike are also father to Lena, who will turn 2 years old next month, on June 18. Mike revealed that even though the family are in self-isolation, they have more than enough company (of the four-legged variety) on his mother-in-law Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park estate.
"We live on a farm so there are lots of animals, including horses and dogs, that we look after," Mike said.
"Zara and I are really lucky as we have lots of space to run and walk. We also have a home gym so we spend time in there as keeping fit is really important to us both," he also revealed during the interview.
Although he's been trying to get Mia to follow in her father's sporty footsteps, she seems to be more apt to take after her mother's equestrian talents. ICYMI: Zara won silver at the 2012 Olympics in London.
"Mia's been riding since she was little and also likes riding her bike and playing ball. I’ve been trying to get her into golf but so far I’m not having a huge amount of luck," Mike revealed.
Besides the homeschooling, horseback riding and sports, the Tindalls have also been busy raising money to fight the coronavirus pandemic. In the interview, Mike talked about teaming up with artist Ben Mosley to auction a specially created new work of art to raise money for the NHS Charities Together COVID-19 Urgent Appeal and for The Cure Parkinson's Trust and the Matt Hampson Foundation, two causes close to his heart since his father, Philip Tindall, was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease in 2003.
Zara recently donated a painting of her horse to the charity Equestrian Relief, which she said was an effort to support the frontline essential workers while staying at home. The couple is also remaining active outside their home gym by participating in a self-isolation 5K run to support the NHS workers.
And we thought changing from nighttime to daytime PJs was a big accomplishment... (But, seriously, bravo to these two royal good Samaritans.)
