Why Princesses Eugenie And Beatrice Are Jealous Of Their ‘Least Royal’ Cousin Zara Tindall

Zara Tindall, the second eldest grandchild of Queen Elizabeth, is considered the “least royal” among the royal family members. Despite this seemingly unglamorous title, her younger cousins, Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, are reportedly quite jealous of their older cousin.

Currently, Princess Anne’s only daughter sits on the 18th spot in the line of succession to the throne, regardless of being the eldest of their generation. Prince Andrew’s daughters actually have a closer spot to the throne. Beatrice is at the ninth spot, and Eugenie is at the tenth.

When their generation was born, the royal family was following a 300-year-old law of succession. This law placed priority on the legitimate sons over daughters and illegitimate children.

On the day of Zara’s birth, Princess Anne famously turned down Queen Elizabeth’s offer to make her daughter a princess. The Princess Royal — as a daughter of the monarch — traditionally couldn’t pass down the royal title, which was a benefit that only the male descendants had.

The former succession law is no longer followed today. In 2011, the Commonwealth leaders decided to give equal rights to the throne for both male and female descendants. Although Zara does not have a title, she’s reportedly happy that her parents decided not to grant her one.

“I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title, and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do,” Zara said in an interview in 2015.

This degree of freedom is what reportedly made Beatrice and Eugenie quite jealous of their older cousin. As the daughters of a male son of the monarch, they were granted with titles and the corresponding responsibilities beside it. Zara, on the other hand, was not pressured by the trappings of royalty and is able to live a more “normal” life.

While Zara can freely pursue her passion of being an equestrian, the two sisters have to fulfill their duties as full-time members of the royal family. To even highlight Zara’s status of being the “least royal,” she married a “commoner” in the form of ex-rugby union player Mike Tindall.