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She’s been by Zara Tindall‘s side during all three of her children’s births, so who is Dolly Maude, the royal’s best friend who Mike Tindall joked is ‘more important’ than him?
Mother-of-four Dolly, who is in her late forties and lives in the Cotswolds close to the couple’s home on the Gatcombe Park estate, has long been a close companion of the Queen’s granddaughter, 39, and was maid of honour at her wedding in 2011.
The pair – who share a love of horses – are regularly seen together looking thick as thieves at Cheltenham Festival, often seen walking hand-in-hand and passionately cheering from the Princess Royal stand, named after Zara’s mother.
The pair even briefly lived together in 2003, when Dolly offered Zara a place to stay when her relationship with ex-fiance jockey Richard Johnson ended.
Mother-of-four Dolly, who is in her late forties and lives in the Cotswolds close to the couple’s home on the Gatcombe Park estate, often accompanies Zara Tindall to Cheltenham (pictured last year) and was present at all three of her children’s births
Dolly pictured next to Zara’s mother, Princess Anne, watching the racing on Gold Cup Day at Cheltenham in March 2016
After revealing their son, Lucas Philip, was born at home on the bathroom floor on Sunday evening during his podcast The Good, The Bad and the Rugby, Mike joked: ‘Fortunately Zara’s friend Dolly is, she’s actually more important than I am at making sure she’s been at all three of my children’s births, she was there and recognised that we wouldn’t have got to the hospital in time, so it was run into the gym, get a mat, get into the bathroom, towels down, brace brace brace!’
It makes sense that Zara would have Dolly on speed dial when she went into labour. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as a maternity practitioner for the NHS in Gloucestershire for 13 years.
Dolly also worked on the maternity unit of a hospital in Kambia, Sierra Leone for a month as part of the Kambia Appeal in 2013, teaching staff basic nursing and theatre skills.
Her current role is listed as house parent/nurse for the British Ski Academy, which is based in Valle D’Aosta, Italy – a role she’s held since December 2018, if the profile is correct.
Close friends Zara and Dolly are often seen passionately cheering from the Princess Royal stand, named after Zara’s mother (pictured in June 2015)
It makes sense that Zara would have Dolly on speed dial when she went into labour. According to her LinkedIn profile, she worked as a maternity practitioner for the NHS in Gloucestershire for 13 years (pictured with Mia Tindall in 2015)
Like Zara, who received an MBE in 2007 for services to equestrianism and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics as a member of the Great Britain Eventing Team, Dolly loves horses.
Prior to becoming a nurse, Dolly ran Dolly Maude Equine Ltd, a company which rehabilitated injured racehorses with a view to getting them back on the racecourse. It also broke in young thoroughbreds and trained point-to-pointers.
Photos on her social media pages suggest she too is no stranger to competing in horse events, including dressage and cross country.
She is married to Chris Maude, 52, a former jump jockey turned master valet, who comes from a farming background and grew up in the Hatherleigh area of Devon.
Dolly has long been a close companion of the Queen’s granddaughter, 39, and was maid of honour at her wedding in 2011 (pictured)
Like Zara, who received an MBE in 2007 for services to equestrianism and won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympics as a member of the Great Britain Eventing Team, Dolly loves horses (pictured with Mike Tindall at Cheltenham Festival in March 2017)
His successes in the saddle included wins over the Grand National fences on Indian Tonic (twice) and Young Hustler, as well as the 1997 Tote Gold Trophy on Make A Stand, the 1995 Mildmay-Cazalet Chase on Deep Bramble, and the 1998 Greenalls Chase on Dom Samourai.
The couple, who married in 1997, have four children – their eldest Billy, 23, attended Swansea University, and their eldest daughter Helena, 21, studies at the Central School of Ballet.
Younger son Ted is, like his mother, a keen skier. He was a page boy at Zara and Mike’s wedding, then age six, and Zara is his godmother.
It’s not known how Dolly and Zara met, though it seems likely it was through equestrianism – and it seems Dolly has given her friend a few tips when it comes to training horses.
Dolly is married to Chris Maude, 52, a former jump jockey turned master valet, who comes from a farming background and grew up in the Hatherleigh area of Devon
Photos on her social media pages suggest Dolly too is no stranger to competing in horse events, including dressage and cross country
In 2008, while Zara was preparing to saddle her first runner as a trainer, Dolly told Horse and Hound: ‘Zara does absolutely everything with him. She rides him out every day and schools him — the whole lot is all down to her. She’s done a fantastic job because he is quirky but she’s made him really, really happy.’
Dolly isn’t particularly active on social media, however in a Twitter post shared in October 2018, she proudly revealed she is an Airbnb superhost.
According to the holiday rental site, she offers a small ‘garden refuge’ which can accommodate three people.
Dolly says the ‘tiny house’, which has a double bed and mezzanine for two children or an additional adult and has received rave reviews, has ‘the feel of a true hideaway’, adding: ‘With the light of the pond outside reflecting on the ceiling, you could be anywhere.’
Dolly isn’t particularly active on social media, however in a Twitter post shared in October 2018, she proudly revealed she is an Airbnb superhost. According to the holiday rental site, she offers a small ‘garden refuge’ which can accommodate three people (pictured)
Dolly says the ‘tiny house’, which has a double bed and mezzanine for two children or an additional adult and has received rave reviews, has ‘the feel of a true hideaway’, adding: ‘With the light of the pond outside reflecting on the ceiling, you could be anywhere’
Describing herself, she wrote: ‘Country family with a twist. I love to travel to remote places and challenge my boundaries.
‘We love animals and the country way of life but a city break never goes unloved. I have a fairly hands off approach to my hosting unless the guests need me in which case we are always to hand across the garden somewhere.’
While at school Dolly was a keen sportswoman, playing tennis, hockey and rounders, and was also a mezzo soprano soloist.
She went on to study a diploma in food and fashion and Cordon Bleu cookery at Eastbourne College of Food and Fashion, graduating in 1989.
