The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Tindall gave birth to her baby boy on the bathroom floor at her home this week. Zara’s husband, Mike Tindall, announced the news on his podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby on Wednesday, revealing the little tot arrived on Sunday, March 21, and that his entrance into the world took them by surprise.
The proud new dad revealed his son, named Lucas Philip Tindall was born at the family’s home at the royal Gatcombe estate in Gloucestershire and that one of Zara’s friends help deliver him.
“Arrived very quickly — didn’t make it to hospital — on the bathroom floor,” the retired rugby star said.
“Zara’s friend Dolly is, she’s actually more important than I am at making sure she’s been at every three of my children’s births — she was there and recognised that we wouldn’t have got to the hospital in time, so it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, get the mat on the floor, get the towels down, brace brace brace!”
He said that Lucas weighed a healthy 8lbs 4oz (3.74 kilograms) at birth and that both baby and mum are doing well.
Lucas’ middle name is a tribute to his 99-year-old great-grandfather Prince Philip, who was recently discharged after a four-week stay in hospital. The baby will be the Queen’s 10th great-grandchild. Zara isn’t the only grandchild paying homage to her grandfather Philip, her first cousin Eugenie also named her first-born son, August Philip Hawke Brooksbank after the family patriarch.
9Honey reports a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are “delighted” at the news. “[They] look forward to meeting their 10th great-grandchild when circumstances allow,” the spokesperson added.
Zara and Mike waited longer than the usual 12-week period before going public with the news of their pregnancy in December last year as Zara has previously suffered from miscarriages. At the time, Mike announced the baby news via his podcast, telling his co-hosts: “It’s been a good week for me, had a little scan last week. Third Tindall on its way.”
At the time Mike said he wasn’t aware of the baby’s sex, but he was hoping for a boy. Zara and Mike are already parents to seven-year-old Mia and two-year-old Lena.