Zara Tindall brings a royal lady-in-waiting to Aintree Racecourse

Dorothy Reddin
Fri, 10 Apr 2026 15:29:25 +0000

Zara Tindall brought a royal lady-in-waiting to Aintree Racecourse today.

Dolly Maude, 51, was appointed as a lady-in-waiting to Princess Anne, Mrs Tindall's mother, in 2024.

A close friend of the Tindall family, Ms Maude famously assisted with the birth of the couple's third child, Lucas, in 2021, having worked as a maternity practitioner in the NHS in Gloucestershire for 13 years.

Mrs Tindall and Ms Maude have been friends for over two decades, with their bond stretching back at least to 2003 when they briefly lived together.

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The 51-year-old offered Mrs Tindall a place to stay following her split from her then-boyfriend, Richard Johnson.

Ms Maude, a trusted confidante, was Mrs Tindall's maid of honour at her 2011 wedding to rugby player Mike Tindall, and has been present for the births of all three of their children.

She joined the royal couple and their eldest child, Mia, today for Ladies Day.

Both share a passion for horses, and Ms Maude has been a familiar face alongside Mrs Tindall at Cheltenham, Ascot and Aintree.

Mrs Tindall, 44, wore a Me + Em pink blazer that retails for £575.

She paired this with matching trousers from the same brand, which originally cost £250 but are sadly no longer in stock.

Underneath the blazer, the mother of three wore a shirt that was designed by David Cameron's wife, Samantha Cameron, via her now-defunct brand, Cefinn.

Mrs Tindall accessorised with a bespoke straw beret from the brand Camilla Rose and £195 pearl earrings from Hector Lion Jewellery.

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Zara Tindall and daughter Mia bring a touch of elegance to Aintree in smart suits

Princess Anne's daughter carried a gold metallic clutch bag from Strathberry and donned £160 "Champagne" sunglasses from Finlay.

For footwear, Mrs Tindall chose £495 gold leather heels from Emmy London.

Mia, 10, wore a beautiful £220 headband from Camilla Rose to match her mother for Ladies' Day.

It comes as a horse was put down at Aintree Racecourse shortly after winning the second race.

Gold Dancer fell at the final hurdle, but recovered to limp over the line to victory. The six-year-old was being ridden by Paul Townend.

Gold Dancer, who was trained by Willie Mullins, looked on course to claim victory by a few lengths but slowed once it fell.

Immediately after crossing the line, Townend dismounted, and vets rushed to give treatment.

Screens were put up around the horse before news of his death was confirmed.

An Aintree Racecourse statement read: "The winner of our second race of the day, Gold Dancer, was pulled up after the line and dismounted.

"He was immediately attended to by our expert veterinary team but sadly he could not be saved. Our heartfelt condolences are with his connections."