NEWS
Queen's granddaughter and jockey flaunt stable relationship
Posted: Wednesday, December 19, 2001
Zara Phillips and Richard Johnson are just like many young couples whose affection for each other grew out of their love of horses.
But the pair is in no way ordinary. As the daughter of Princess Anne, Phillips is Queen Elizabeth II's granddaughter and tenth in line for the British throne; she also has been a spokesperson in racing's attempt to court younger fans. Johnson is one of England's leading steeplechase jockeys.
They recently made their private life together more public when they posed for the current issue of Hello! magazine for a reported payment of approximately $190,000.
Although the 13-page spread was supposed to focus mainly on Johnson, Phillips is on all but one page, the London Daily Mail reports.
Phillips, 20, and Johnson, 23, have had more time to share with each other recently while Johnson is sidelined with a broken leg suffered in a spill. He credits Phillips's massage techniques with improving the healing process.
The couple call a $600,000 house in Gloucestershire their home and have Phillips's horse Dingbat stabled on the property.
"We keep a close circle of friends and prefer our own company to the bright lights," Johnson said. "In the evenings we tend to just veg out in front of the television like any normal couple. … I am a homebird and so is Zara."
