As a member of The Firm, you have to live your life in the spotlight. That means that both the good, and the bad, are on show, often no matter how prominent your position in the royal line of succession.
This fact became painfully obvious to Mike and Zara Tindall back in 2016 when they were forced to publicly announce that their second pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage.
After the couple welcomed their eldest daughter Mia in 2014, we now know that they suffered through the heartbreak of two miscarriages before the birth of their second daughter, Lena in June 2018.
Zara has previously spoken about living through the ‘helpless’ time as she thanked royal fans for their support and kind messages, but Mike has been relatively silent on the matter, for understandable reasons.
But now, for the first time, he has opened up about his experience and shared what he found to be the ‘best thing’ to help him get through.
Speaking to The Times, Mike revealed, “It’s a terrible journey for mothers as they look at themselves like it’s their fault.”
He also added that the couple’s first miscarriage was especially tough as not only was this the first time they had experienced such an ordeal, but Zara was five months pregnant at the time and they had already announced the pregnancy to the public.
He said, “And being as late as it was – five months. We had to go out there and tell everyone we had lost a baby… The life we lead means we had to announce it publicly.”
However, the was one person who helped the couple get through it – their first and then only daughter, Mia.
Mike said that Mia was the ‘best thing’ for him and Zara to focus their attention on after coming home from the hospital. He told the publication, “To get home from the hospital and Mia is there with a smile on her face, you put all your love into her.
“If we’d have gone home to an empty house, that would have been a completely different scenario.”
Back in 2018, Zara spoke candidly about the two miscarriages she experienced and felt it important to note that Mike was incredibly affected by the ordeal despite her being the one to carry the baby.
She told BBC Breakfast at the time, “Mike’s incredible – and it’s hard for the guys too. It’s very different for us because we’re carrying the child, but for guys, I guess it’s kind of that helpless feeling, which must be incredibly high and horrible for them.
“At the end of the day they’ve still lost a child too.”
She went on to say that ‘time is a great healer’ and that she knows her family is now ‘stronger’ for the struggles they’ve faced. “Being helpless is horrible isn’t it.. for anyone,” she said. “So, you know, it’s been a horrible road but, you know, actually now we’ve come out the end of it, hopefully, it makes you a stronger family.”
