How pregnant Zara Tindall paved the way for Meghan Markle by being the first royal to bravely speak about miscarriage

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ZARA Tindall has today announced that she is pregnant with her third child.

Husband Mike Tindall announced the good news this morning on a podcast he hosts, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.

Pregnant Zara Tindall suffered two miscarriages after the birth of her eldest daughter Mia

The Queen’s granddaughter’s baby joy follows a series of heartbreaking miscarriages.

Before the birth of her second daughter Lena Tindall in 2018, Zara suffered two baby losses, which the royal mum bravely opened up about.

And Zara’s open approach to miscarriage paved the way for Meghan Markle to speak out about her own tragic loss last month.

The Duchess of Sussex shared the news in an article for the New York Times titled “The Losses We Share” – and Zara is all too aware of that loss.

Meghan Markle opened up about her miscarriage in an essay for the New York Times

Zara Tindall was the first member of the royal family to speak openly about miscarriage when she lost two babies following the birth of her eldest daughter Mia, six.

The Queen’s granddaughter, who is married to rugby captain Mike Tindall, revealed in 2016 that her second pregnancy had ended in a miscarriage.

And two years later the mum-of-two opened up about the loss in an interview with the Sunday Times, revealing she had suffered a second miscarriage before the birth of her youngest, Lena, two.

She said at the time: “I think you need to go through a period where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw.

The Duchess of Sussex spoke about the “losses we share”

“But, as with everything, time’s a great healer.”

Speaking of her first miscarriage she explained that difficulty came with it being public.

Zara said: “In our case, it was something that was really rare; it was nature saying, ‘This one’s not right.’

“I had to go through having the baby because it was so far along.”

When she lost the second baby, the couple were able to mourn in private

Zara’s brave decision to speak publicly about her double loss was praised by Ruth Bender-Atik, national director of the Miscarriage Association.

After their heartbreak Zara and Mike Tindall welcomed their second daughter Lena in 2018

She said: “We are getting better at talking about what is still something of a taboo subject so it can be helpful; when someone in the public eye discusses their own experience as Zara Tindall has done.”

Zara’s hubby Mike, the former Gloucester Rugby and England captain, said about miscarriage last year: “One thing you do learn is how many other people have to go through the same thing.

“The saving grace for us has been Mia. However down we feel, she will come running up in our faces.”

The Duchess of Sussex, 39, wrote of the moment she knew she was “losing” her second baby in a deeply personal essay for the New York Times.

Recalling the devastating morning in July, the duchess said she had been looking after her son Archie, who would have been about 14-months-old at the time, when she felt a “sharp cramp”.

Meghan said she had decided to speak out about her loss because miscarriage was still a taboo subject which led to a “cycle of solitary mourning”.

And in the essay, Meghan spoke of the importance of sharing pain, saying “together we can take the first steps towards healing”.