Queen's granddaughter plans to keep riding while pregnant

LONDON, July 9 (UPI) -- Zara Phillips, granddaughter of Britain's Queen Elizabeth and an Olympic medalist in dressage, plans to continue riding while she is pregnant, a spokesman says.

An aide said Phillips, as of now, plans to compete in the Festival of British Eventing, scheduled for next month at Gatcombe Park, Princess Anne's estate in Gloucestershire, The Sun reported. She also has three equestrian events planned for July.

Phillips, 32, and her husband, rugby star Mark Tindall, announced Monday they are expecting their first child. On Saturday, Phillips had a fall at the Barbury International Horse Trials in Marlborough.

Britain's National Health Service advises pregnant women avoid riding. But Peter Phillips, Zara's brother and father of the queen's first two great-grandchildren, said the decision is "purely down to her."

Anne rejected royal or noble titles for her children, fathered by her first husband, Mark Phillips.

Zara Phillips has won European medals for riding and competed on the British team in the 2012 Olympics, winning a silver medal in team eventing. In 2007, she was awarded the honor of Member of the Order of the British Empire or MBE for her contributions to sport.