Former Olympic medallist Zara and her husband Mike Tindall headed to the Cheltenham Festival between March 10 and 13, when the coronavirus outbreak was already gripping the UK. And fears for the Tindalls’ health sparked after Mr Parker Bowles, the former husband of Camilla and one of the godparents of Zara, revealed yesterday he tested positive for coronavirus and said he has heard “quite a few people” got infected at the racecourse. 

The British Army officer added he believes to be among those who picked the coronavirus up at the races.

He told the Daily Telegraph: “I probably got it on the Wednesday or Friday I attended Cheltenham.

“I’ve felt pretty bloody awful with it.  

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“It’s better in the mornings and gets worse as the day goes on.

“I’ve had a bad cough and I’ve been very lethargic.

“I’m sleeping twice as long as normal.” 

Asked whether he now thinks the Cheltenham Festival should have been called off, he said: “To be honest it was optional whether we went.

“At the time the Underground was running full of people.

“You can’t blame Cheltenham. 

“To be fair attendance was 10 per cent down but I do know quite a few people who picked it up there.”

The festival took place a few days before the Government changed its strategy and started urging people to limit their social lives.

As many as 10 days later, Prime Minister Boris Johnson put the UK on lockdown to limit the spread of COVID-19 and ease the pressure on the NHS.

Zara was pictured with Mr Parker Bowles on the second day of the festival.  

In one snap, Princess Anne’s only daughter is seen putting one hand on the former Army official’s shoulder while speaking to her mother.

In other pictures, the trio can be seen chatting and laughing together.

There is no risk Mr Parker Bowles infected Zara or Princess Anne, as his doctor said they believe he started being contagious on March 16.

The 14-day long incubation period for the coronavirus to have spread at the Cheltenham Racecourse has already passed.

This means that, if the Tindalls or Princess Anne had been infected at the races, they would have already shown symptoms.

The palace hasn’t issued any statement regarding the health of the Princess Royal.

And a source close to Peter and Autumn Phillips, the brother and sister-in-law of Zara, said the Tindalls were not showing any symptoms.   

However, experts have warned that a significative percentage of people who contract coronavirus may not show any symptoms.

This means that, if they don’t practice social distancing, they could still infect others with their viral load.

Mike appears to have embraced the Government advice on coronavirus after having initially expressed some doubts on social distancing.

Last week, he shared on Instagram a cricket analogy to explain why suspending non vital social activities will hugely help the NHS.

This came a few days after, at Cheltenham, he was asked whether cancelling sports events would help the fight against COVID-19.

After saying it was a shame the pandemic was disrupting the daily lives of Britons, Mike added: “Do I feel that cancelling everything is going to solve it? I’m not entirely sure.”  

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