Fifteen years after saying their vows at the royal family’s favourite Edinburgh church, Zara and Mike Tindall still look like they’re on their honeymoon. The couple, who married at Canongate Kirk on 30 July 2011 and are now parents to three children, appear more in love than ever, if their frequent public displays of affection are anything to go by.
While they share many interests and common goals – as well as deep mutual attraction and sense of humour – perhaps the secret to their happy marriage also lies in the fact that, according to Mike, Zara is a very easy-going wife.
“I can’t believe she’s letting me play golf on her birthday – what a legend,” Mike, 47, told HELLO! when we joined him and Zara at his annual charity tournament in Sutton Coldfield in May, which coincided with Zara’s 45th birthday.
The down-to-earth couple, who met in Sydney during the 2003 Rugby World Cup while Mike was touring with the England team and Zara was on a gap year, have long been considered among the more relatable members of the royal family.
Indeed, they are just as likely to be found shovelling horse manure as they are dressed up for Royal Ascot. Two years ago, Mike told HELLO! that his family’s life at their farmhouse on the Princess Royal’s Gatcombe Park estate in rural Gloucestershire was nowhere near as grand as some people might imagine. “We have three dogs, three kids and horses, so there’s a lot of poo in my life. It’s a great leveller,” he said.
The couple’s first date in Sydney – after Zara gave Mike her phone number via one of his teammates – turned out to be “quite a boozy one”, according to Mike, and they have been inseparable ever since.
Boozy lunches have now given way to domestic routine as they bring up their children, Mia, 12, Lena, eight, and Lucas, five – but that doesn’t appear to have dampened the couple’s sense of fun and adventure. Meanwhile, being at the top of their game in their respective sports has been key to their rock-solid relationship.
“He understands the pressures and vice versa, which obviously helps, but it actually started from becoming very good friends,” Zara, an Olympic and World Champion equestrian, once explained.
“It’s always been good for us being two professional sportspeople. It’s a bit cliche but you understand each other, what your motivations are. I think that’s why we gel,” Mike said in an interview in 2021.
© WireImageFacing challenges together has brought them closer, too – in particular the two miscarriages Zara suffered. “A marriage or long-term relationship can’t always be roses and rainbows,” Mike has said.
“When you have children, that’s a massive shock… and there’s going to be those rocky roads. There are things that are thrown at you that have to test both of you and that will test that relationship. The thing is no one is right, no one is wrong. You have to work through it together.”
“She’s always been my best friend – that doesn’t change,” Mike once said when asked about the success of his marriage. “I don’t know if I’ve got any top tips. She’s always right, is that a top tip?”
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