King Charles’ niece Zara Tindall is celebrating her 14th wedding anniversary today, but at the time of her wedding to former rugby player Mike in 2011, one member of the family expressed their doubts about their relationship
King Charles ’ niece Zara is celebrating her 14th wedding anniversary with her husband Mike Tindall today. After first meeting in 2003, the couple will no doubt be celebrating the milestone anniversary in a special way.
But despite Zara and Mike being beloved members of the royal family, there was one person who had major doubts about their wedding before they got hitched in 2011.
Princess Anne ’s daughter and the former rugby player tied the knot in a stunning ceremony in Edinburgh surrounded by their nearest and dearest, which included the late Queen and Princess Kate and Prince William, who themselves had tied the knot just months earlier.
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The newlyweds emerged from the Scottish capital’s Canongate Kirk after the service, Zara and I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here star Mike, shared a kiss and looked blissfully happy as they set off for their reception at Holyroodhouse.
Despite the couple looking loved up and happy on their big day, one relative was “dead against” their union: Mike’s grandmother. Mike’s dad Philip revealed the doubts of the grandmother in an interview in 2020 and explained she feared Zara’s royal status could pose a problem, but the family at large soon realised they had nothing to worry about.
He told the Sunday Times : “Linda’s mum [Mike’s grandmother] was dead against it. In her day, royalty married royalty and she thought the wedding would be shunned. But right from the start the whole family was just lovely.”
Sadly, Mike’s grandmother never got to meet Zara but his dad said he knows she would have approved of her grandson’s wife. He added: “I know she’d have loved her as much as we do because she and Mike are perfect for each other.”
Speaking about their romance, Mike previously said of his royal wife: “I’ve never been in love before, but Zara is the love of my life. No doubt.”
The couple were introduced to each other with the help of Prince Harry in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Australia. They announced their engagement in 2010, tying the knot just months later.
At the star-studded wedding, Zara wore a stunning wedding dress by Stewart Parvin – a favourite designer of her grandmother the late Queen.
In 2014, they welcomed their first child, a daughter called Mia who is 11 years old, and have another daughter called Lena, aged seven. In 2021 they welcomed their first son, Lucas Philip, with Zara giving birth on the bathroom floor at their home in Gloucestershire.
Former BBC royal correspondent Jennie Bond told the Mirror the secret to their strong marriage, as she explained: “I think Mike and Zara have everything going for them, they are clearly still madly in love, they don’t take themselves or life too seriously, and they know how to have a whole load of fun.
“Probably more important than any of that, they are really good friends. And that’s really how it started, 22 years ago. They met in Australia, bonded over a love of sport – and went out for a boozy lunch. ‘We realised we both like to get smashed’, Mike later said!
“It didn’t hurt that Zara was, and remains, an extremely beautiful woman, and Mike has the rugged looks of an international rugby star. They are both huge favourites in the royal family, lighting up any occasion with their vivacious good humour.”
