Zara and Mike Tindall Kiss at Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park

Arm, Championship, Recreation, Coach, Gesture, Competition event, Competition, World, Team, Elbow,

(Image credit: Getty Images)

published 6 August 2018

Let's get this out of the way: No, there technically is no "protocol" for royals who want to show a little PDA in public, though it is unprecedented in formal settings. That's why Prince Harry and Meghan Markle keep their hand-holding to a minimum when they're around the Queen, but shared a sweet kiss at the Sentebale Polo Cup last week.

It's also why Zara and Mike Tindall, Harry's first cousins, not only kissed at the Festival of British Eventing at Gatcombe Park this weekend, but did a bit of hand-holding and butt-grabbing in front of the crowds. And honestly, good for them—after all, they just welcomed their second child a month and a half ago.

The couple deserves to show affection whenever they please. Zara, the granddaughter of the Queen and daughter of Princess Anne, recently opened up about having a second miscarriage before her second daughter, Lena, was born this June.

"I think you need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it's too raw," she told The Sunday Times. "But, as with everything, time's a great healer."

Festival Of British Eventing At Gatcombe Park

Zara and Mike also have a daughter, Mia, born in 2014. The couple met in 2003 and married in 2011, the same year the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge did, after the Queen gave her consent. (Yes, Harry and Meghan had to get the Queen's approval, too.) The royals are close to the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, and attended their wedding back in May at St. George's Chapel while Zara was still pregnant with her second child.

Rachel Epstein is a writer, editor, and content strategist based in New York City. Most recently, she was the Managing Editor at Coveteur, where she oversaw the site’s day-to-day editorial operations. Previously, she was an editor at Marie Claire, where she wrote and edited culture, politics, and lifestyle stories ranging from op-eds to profiles to ambitious packages. She also launched and managed the site’s virtual book club, #ReadWithMC. Offline, she’s likely watching a Heat game or finding a new coffee shop.