Zara Tindall was a 00s queen with the bluntest fringe and braided hair transformation

Zara Tindall's hair has gone on quite the journey to arrive at the chic 'Princess bob' she sports these days. 

She's stuck with her honey blonde roots through thick and thin and has maintained a shoulder-length cut for over a decade since her bob made a comeback in 2015. But back in the late 2000s, before she married her husband Mike Tindall in 2011, Zara majorly switched up her look with the bluntest fringe.

In an unearthed photo from 2009, Princess Anne's daughter wore her hair, which appeared to be a slightly lighter shade of blonde, out to the annual Cheltenham Festival with a full fringe covering her forehead. The bright strands fell to the royal's eyebrows and perfectly framed her face on the side with slightly longer pieces in a graduated fringe. 

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While she's worn glamorous fascinators and hats to the annual horse racing event in other years, for her 2009 outing, Zara's hair was kept in place with a braid. The hair behind her fringe was swept back with either an integrated hairpiece that matched her blonde locks or her own hair strands braided in a makeshift headband. 

Zara Tindall's top trackside style tips

Zara has been a regular at the Cheltenham Festival for over two decades, last attending in March 2026 wearing a gorgeous deep burgundy dress.

The royal previously revealed her top style tips for the race day in an exclusive interview with HELLO! last year. As someone who has been to her fair share of race days, the royal said her number one piece of fashion advice for Cheltenham would be "create a balance between elegance and practicality". 

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"Choose a classic, tailored outfit, but make sure to incorporate layers and weather-appropriate accessories. For me, it’s about what works and feels good to wear. For events where I have to get more dressed up, I work with an amazing stylist who's brilliant at finding pieces that reflect the type of event it is," she told us. 

Zara also revealed her mother, Princess Anne, taught her "the importance of having good-quality clothing that keeps you warm and comfortable outdoors."

Zara's hair evolution

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By the time she was engaged to Mike Tindall in 2010, Zara had let her fringe pretty much grow out. Her hair is much shorter now than the below-the-shoulders length she kept in 2009. 

"Zara's 'Princess Bob' frames her face beautifully with its blunt cut. With those strong edges, it opens up her features, which creates a beautiful, healthy, and shiny result to her hair," multi-award-winning hairstylist Michael Gray told HELLO!. 

At the Wimbledon Tennis Championships with her husband Mike earlier this month, Zara looked effortlessly glamorous with her short hair styled in loose curls. 

The royal has tried various different length over the years before embracing the bob as her signature style. When she was a teen in the 90s, Zara rocked a bold pixie cut that was even shorter than the voluminous style Princess Diana sported throughout the decade.