Why Zara Tindall waited until years after her wedding before changing her surname

Princess Anne's daughter was born Zara Phillips, inheriting her father Captain Mark Phillips' surname.

As she grew up, Zara developed a love of horses just like both of her parents, eventually becoming a professional equestrian.

As a sportswoman, she was known by her maiden name, so when she married Mike Tindall in 2011, she actually decided not to take his surname straight away, as reported by Hello!. This was so that she could continue to compete under the name she had come to be known by, which is a completely understandable decision.

Of course, many women opt to not take their spouse's surname, while others opt for a double-barrelled option or reverse traditional gender roles — with a man taking a woman's surname instead.

One reason it's quite noteworthy that Zara didn't take her husband's last name at first is that the Royal Family tends to be quite a traditional institution in general. With that in mind, many women who are born into the family are born with their own titles (e.g. Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie of York) or are given them upon their marriage (e.g. Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon). But because Zara did not receive a royal title at birth and is not a working royal, it would have likely been expected that she take her husband's name.

Anyway, all that to say that in the end, she became Zara Tindall in 2016, after she failed to qualify for the Rio Olympics that took place that year. The royal athlete had previously competed in the London 2012 Olympics, bringing home a silver medal.

Princess Anne, as for her, competed in the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, Canada, while Captain Phillips "won a team gold medal at the 1972 Olympics and a team silver medal in 1988," according to Team GB's official website. Such an athletic family, honestly.