Monday 23 February marks a return to school for children all over the country following a half-term break – and that includes Zara and Mike Tindall‘s children. Their daughters, Mia, 12, and Lena, seven, and son Lucas, four, were able to enjoy a week off school last week – and their father has revealed how they spent it.
Former England rugby star Mike, 47, took to Instagram last week to share a video announcing the release of the paperback edition of the book he co-wrote with Alex Payne and James Haskell, The Good, the Bad and the Rugby.
In the video, Mike donned a black winter coat, and in the background was surrounded by snow and trees. In a second video, the former pro athlete filmed himself outside a ski shop, revealing he had jetted off to France. Royal fans can presume that his wife, Zara, who is Princess Anne‘s daughter, and their three children were in tow.
The Tindall family is enthusiastic skiers, and in 2025, they all enjoyed a pre-Christmas ski trip to Austria with Zara’s brother Peter Phillips, his fiancée, Harriet Sperling, and his daughters.
A time of crisis for the royal family
Zara and Mike’s ski break came amidst the wider royal family’s battle with unprecedented circumstances back in the UK. On 19 February, Zara’s uncle, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageThe brother of King Charles, who was arrested on his 66th birthday, was taken into police custody while a search took place at Wood Farm on the King’s Sandringham estate in Norfolk, where he is currently living, and his former home, Royal Lodge in Windsor.
© PA Images via Getty ImagesAndrew was later released from police custody, and other senior members of the royal family have applied a ‘business as usual’ approach to their public engagements. On the day of Andrew’s arrest, King Charles stepped out to attend Tolu Coker’s show at London Fashion Week, sitting in the coveted front row alongside British fashion designer Stella McCartney and the CEO of the British Fashion Council, Laura Weir.
© BAFTA via Getty ImagesMeanwhile, Queen Camilla visited Sinfonia Smith Square Hall that same day, and the Princess of Wales attended the 6 Nations Rugby Championship match between England and Ireland on Saturday before joining Prince William at the BAFTAs on Sunday.
A private getaway
Zara and Mike weren’t the only royals who had taken solace from public view by jetting off on ski trips overseas during half-term.
© InstagramHours before her father’s arrest on 19 February, Princess Eugenie was spotted on a half-term skiing holiday in the Swiss resort of Gstaad, alongside her husband Jack Brooksbank, their two children – August, five, and Ernest, who turns three in May.
They were also joined by a group of friends and their children’s nanny. HELLO! was able to exclusively reveal that, having enjoyed time on the ski runs, the group dined at a traditional, Alpine-style eaterie situated on the slopes. The restaurant, which serves traditional Swiss dishes like potato rosti and Viennese sausage, has a deck overlooking the mountains, but the group stayed inside.
© Samir Hussein/WireImageAn onlooker told HELLO!: “They were tucked away in a corner and casually dressed in ski gear and jackets, and Jack was wearing a beanie hat as they both browsed the menu,” says a fellow diner who saw the group at lunchtime on Wednesday. I was surprised to see her because I thought she would be keeping a low profile in light of everything that has been going on.”
The princess would not have known about her father’s imminent arrest at the time, and it is not known how long she and the family stayed in Switzerland after the news broke.
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