Zara Tindall (née Phillips) is infamous for being a more laid-back and relatable royal, partly because of her mother Princess Anne’s decision to not give her a royal title, and partly because of her relationship with her now-husband, Mike Tindall.
But just exactly how did Zara and Mike meet? Well for starters, it happened in Australia…
It’s reported that Zara and Mike first crossed paths in 2003 in Sydney during the Rugby World Cup. Mike was playing rugby for England, while Zara was on a gap year and travelled down under with friends.
The pair met at the Manly Wharf Bar and immediately hit it off. It seems Queen Mary and King Frederik of Denmark aren’t the only royal couple who saw sparks flying when they met in Sydney!
Zara and Mike have been together since 2003.
(Getty)When Mike appeared on the UK version of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! in 2022, which was also filmed in Australia, he revealed the relaxed nature of the couple’s first date.
“First actual date, just went out for lunch locally, and ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start,” the former rugby star shared.
When Zara and Mike returned to the UK, their relationship seemed to blossom. People knew it was serious when Zara invited Mike to join her at the North Cotswold Ball and the couple were well and truly “official” by 2004.
It was around this time that Mike began attending more and more public events with his royal girlfriend, and the couple was regularly photographed out and about together.
Zara and Mike got engaged in December 2010.
(Getty)After five years of dating, Mike proposed in December 2010.
At the time, Buckingham Palace released a statement which read: “The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Zara Phillips to Mr. Mike Tindall, son of Mr. Phillip and Mrs. Linda Tindall.”
Mike said that to him, “It was all about shock value” in terms of his proposal.
“I wanted to catch her when it was quiet, and she wasn’t expecting anything.”
He certainly succeeded in shocking Zara, and according to Mike, “She started laughing. She was in complete shock. Then, when she stopped laughing, she said yes. That was a relief.”
They tied the knot in July 2011.
(Getty)Mike revealed he’d been thinking about getting on one knee for a while, and even told HELLO! in 2009, “I don’t think it is about whether we will get married but when.”
After the couple announced their engagement, Mike hilariously said, “My brother got engaged, and so did a certain Duke of Cambridge. I thought I’d better get on with it.”
Per the Royal Marriages Act 1772, the late Queen Elizabeth II had to give her consent to their marriage in a meeting with the Privy Council in May 2011, two months before the couple were set to marry.
The pair officially tied the knot in July 2011 in Edinburgh, Scotland and have since created a family of their own.
Zara and Mike share three beautiful children together: Mia (10), Lena (6), and Lucas (3).
Zara and Mike with their daughters, Mia and Lena.
(Getty)It’s unsurprising that one of the reasons Zara and Mike first hit it off was due to their mutual love of sport. Obviously Mike played rugby for England, but Zara is also a highly decorated equestrian – she even won a silver medal at the 2012 London Olympics!
Zara’s father, Captain Mark Phillips, is also a highly esteemed equestrian so the love of the sport truly runs in the family.
This love of equestrianism and horses has also given Zara and Mike yet another tie to Australia through Zara’s patronage of the Magic Millions Carnival – an Australian Thoroughbred racehorse auction house which hosts a number of star-studded events throughout the year, notably the world-famous Gold Coast Yearling Sale at Surfers Paradise in January.
