It's been 15 years since Mike Tindall married wife Zara at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
They might have initially seemed an unlikely pairing - a former England rugby captain and the late Queen's granddaughter. But they have proved to be the perfect match.
Mike, 48, and Zara, 45, have emerged as one of the most popular royal couples; down to earth and relatable, they are often seen laughing together and look blissfully happy on their public outings.
Dad of three Mike previously spoke about his first date with Zara - and surprised onlookers as he revealed what initially attracted the pair.
The sportstar Mike explained that the pair met in Sydney in 2003. "I was at the World Cup, she was out watching. I got dropped from the semi-final," he told his campmates during his 2022 appearance on I'm A Celebrity.
"I was [expletive] off and so I went for a beer with another guy who got dropped and a guy who was over [in Sydney].
"They'd met her before and they introduced us and then got chatting from there."
© Getty"So if you never got dropped you never would have met her?" actor Owen Warner remarked, to which Mike responded: "Best decision of Clive Woodward's life."
"Thank god he dropped you," Owen added.
Mike and Zara's first date details
Mike then went on to give details about his first date with Zara. "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."
Mike and Zara tied the knot on 30 July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, just three months after Zara's cousin, Prince William, married Kate Middleton.
The couple share three children, Mia, eight, Lena, four, and one-year-old Lucas.
Zara's warning to husband Mike
Elsewhere on the show, Mike revealed that his wife has warned him not to embarrass her with his eating habits.
Speaking from Australia, he said: "We have some work out here so if it got to the end then hopefully, she'd be able to come out. Zara told me to go and be myself, which is all you can be. She said to go enjoy and be yourself."
But, he added: "Zara's biggest worry is how loud I am when I eat. She will be very happy if someone comments about how loud I breathe when I eat because it's always a point that she brings up. When your nose has been mangled as much as mine it is just a by-product."
What Mike Tindall calls his mother-in-law Princess Anne in private
Mike previously revealed he takes surprisingly formal approach when addressing his mother-in-law, Princess Anne.
© Max Mumby/Indigo/Getty ImagesWhen he appeared on ITV's Good Morning Britain in 2024 with fellow former rugby pro James Haskell to chat about their podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, he spoke about hosting Princess Anne and the Prince and Princess of Wales on the show.
"They were amazing," Mike said of his in-laws. "Rugby has been going through a tough time and we wanted to showcase why it brings people together from all backgrounds, it's such an inclusive sport, but it also creates great human beings," he said.
"It was more important to showcase why they like sport, why Princess Anne has been a patron of [the Scottish Rugby Union] for 37 years and why she loves the characters in the game. It accepts all fans and they come from all sides," he added.
When asked by host Susanna Reid what he calls his mother-in-law, Mike responded: "Mam."
Mike's close relationship with the royal family
It's no secret that Mike has a close relationship with his in-laws. The rugby star previously credited the royal family, particularly the late Queen Elizabeth II, for making him feel so welcome after marrying Zara in 2011.
© Photo: Getty Images"I can only say how kind they've been to me, and how welcoming they've been to me since joining the family. And how they've made my family welcome," he told The Telegraph in 2021. "I've always felt part of it and I think that's down to what an amazing woman the Queen is.
"They're a fantastic family," he added.
