Zara Tindall breaks silence following Princess Anne's injury as royal opens up about nerve-racking sport

This comes as her mother, the Princess Royal, was hospitalised last month after suffering a blow to the head from a horse on her Gatcombe Park estate.

Anne, 73, spent five nights in hospital and did not return to royal duties until July 12.

Her daughter, Zara, is now appearing in a new documentary discussing why equestrians compete at the Cheltenham Festival, one of the most popular horse-riding events in the UK.

She said: "There's a lot of hope when you walk into Cheltenham, there's a lot of dreams to try and grab."

Zara, as well as her husband Mike Tindall, are regular attendees at Cheltenham.

The mother-of-three added: "I think it's worse watching than riding, 100 per cent because you've got no control over it, and you sit back and let them get on with it."

The documentary, Champions: Full Gallop, is set to air on ITV1 at 9pm tonight.

Zara's appearance in this documentary is the first time she has spoken since her mother's injuries.

She was photographed visiting Princess Anne at Southmead Hospital in Bristol, but did not speak to photographers or reporters during the outing.

Zara and Mike later stepped out at Wimbledon on the same day as Queen Camilla, Peter Phillips and Carole and Michael Middleton.

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The 43-year-old, as well as her older brother Peter, 46, are understood to be caring for the Princess Royal on the Gatcombe Park estate, where they all live.

Princess Anne shares her home with her second husband, Sir Timothy Laurence.

The couple tied the knot in 1992, the same year Anne's divorce from Captain Mark Phillips was finalised.