Mike Tindall at 48: Former Rugby Star’s Bond With Prince William

Two months after Prince Harry returned to the UK, living closer to home has done little to repair his strained relationship with his brother, the Prince of Wales.

For Prince William, 44, a cousin-in-law has nevertheless become a trusted source of brotherly support: former rugby star Mike Tindall.

Mike, who turns 48 today, shares a close friendship with William and has also developed a particularly warm relationship with the 13-year-old Prince George.

The famously fun-loving royal family member married Zara Tindall, 45, in 2011. He has even given William the nickname ‘One Pint Willy’, joking that the future king is not a particularly strong drinker.

Mike, a father of three, earned 75 caps for England and helped the team win the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He revealed the nickname on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.

William appeared to take the teasing in good humour, later explaining that Mike had apologised for using the nickname.

The prince joked that Mike had claimed he would not reveal anyone’s nicknames, only to break that promise by sharing William’s on air.

Mike has also used his playful sense of humour to tease the Princess of Wales, 44, particularly over her famously competitive streak.

Speaking to The Times, Mike joked that the Princess of Wales had yet to beat him at beer pong, although he would continue giving her the chance.

He added that Kate was highly competitive, but still had some work to do on her technique.

Zara is one of George’s godparents, while body language expert Darren Stanton previously told Hello! Magazine that Mike appears to fill an “uncle” role in the young prince’s life.

That affectionate bond was visible on Christmas Day 2024, when Mike was photographed ruffling George’s hair before kissing him on the side of the head.

Earlier in 2024, Mike spoke to The Telegraph while promoting his podcast, which he presents with James Haskell and Alex Payne.

He said George was a keen football fan and that they had played together in the garden several times. Mike also revealed that the young prince supports Aston Villa and will stop to watch the team whenever he can.

Kate and William are among the well-known guests who have joined Mike on his podcast, where both appeared at ease as they joked and laughed with him.

The four are frequently photographed embracing, offering a glimpse of the warm relationship shared by the two families.

Zara and Mike have built their family life alongside William and Catherine as the two households have grown closer.

Their eldest daughter Mia was born in January 2014, six months after George, before Princess Charlotte arrived in 2015.

Lena Tindall followed in 2018 – the same year Prince Louis was born – with Lucas completing their brood in 2021.

Their children have grown up together, regularly spending Christmases, family holidays and royal gatherings side by side, while the parents have remained close friends away from the public eye.

This summer, royal biographer Robert Jobson told Our News Outlet Mike had become ‘something better’ than a godparent to George.

He said: ‘He talks to him about losing, the one subject nobody else raises, because everybody else is invested in the boy winning.

‘Mike has lost in front of eighty thousand people. He can be funny about it the next morning. You see it in the photographs. An arm round George’s shoulders, leaning in, saying something. No airs and graces about the man, and the child worked that out years ago.’

Currently, Zara’s mother Princess Anne, 76, tops YouGov’s data for most popular royal, at 67%, followed closely by Catherine and William on 64% and 62% respectively.

King Charles ranks fourth and Zara seventh, while Harry languishes in 10th position.

Aside from William, Zara is the highest ranking of her cousins. She was previously voted BBC’s Sports Personality of the Year in 2006, an accolade Anne has also won.

Jobson added: ‘When William and Catherine chose George’s godparents in 2013, they picked seven mostly old friends. One was blood, Zara.

‘Her mother Princess Anne turned down titles for her children, Zara and Peter, when they were small.

‘It was filed at the time under Anne-ish contrarianism. It was nothing of the sort. It was the shrewdest decision anybody in that house made in the twentieth century.’

The lack of titles made Anne’s offspring no less a part of Queen Elizabeth II’s inner family.

Zara is 18 months William’s senior and grew up alongside him, spending summers in Scotland and Christmas Day at Sandringham.

Jobson added of Mike: ‘He married into the most scrutinised family on earth and has never once behaved like a man who married up.

‘Two world champions. Neither remotely impressed by any of it. That is the lesson.

‘George is growing up among adults who are either dazzled by the institution or depend on it. Some are both. Indeed, it is the same for Charlotte and Louis.

‘But it is changing. William, when King, will slim down the numbers. Reduce the royal payroll.

‘He will spend 60-plus years surrounded by people whose warmth is professional. What he needs are grown-ups who won something on their own terms and then treat the whole business lightly.

‘Zara’s gift is the switch. She turns out when the family asks. Balcony, Jubilee, funeral.

‘Then she goes home, earns her own living, gets back on a horse. Nobody else has managed both. She moves between the centre and the edge without fuss and without resentment.’

The Tindalls’ popularity has led many to question whether the pair could gain official titles, or take on duties as working royals, when William becomes king.

Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor was stripped of his titles last year, while Harry and Meghan agreed to stop using HRH (His/Her Royal Highness) in 2020.

When William becomes King, it’s likely he will want – or perhaps even need – more help from his wider family, especially when the famously hard-working Anne eventually decides to take a step back.

No10’s former head of press Giles Kenningham told The i: ‘The big question for Buckingham Palace is always one of relevance and whether the Royal Family are seen as relatable and people feel able to engage with them.

‘The Tindalls work very well on that level – they have had their own careers, they are independent financially and they conduct themselves well.

‘You certainly don’t see them staggering out of the back of bars.’

The King traditionally grants major peerages, such as dukedoms, to senior male royals when they marry. But the monarch can personally bestow special titles such as the Princess Royal, normally given to their oldest daughter, at times of their choosing.

However, Mike has told Closer magazine that if he was offered a royal title ‘I would definitely turn that down’, while Zara has described her mother’s decision not to give her a title as ‘the right thing to do’.

Some insiders have speculated that silver Olympic medallist Zara could be handed the patronage of the royal stud in Sandringham under William’s reign, which may appeal more.

The BBC’s former royal correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! magazine: ‘Like her mother, she lives and breathes horses – she’s also extremely glamorous and well-liked, and it would be a perfect fit.’

There is one royal title that has already been bestowed upon Mike, by his former teammates.

In a 2023 interview with The Times, he revealed his nickname is ‘the Lord’. He said: ‘I gained it at Gloucester when I started dating Zara. It stuck.’

The couple’s appeal to a new era of monarchy is clear. They are seen as relevant, down-to-earth and always ‘up for a laugh’.

However, the same fun-loving nature that strikes a chord with the British public may be exactly what stops them taking up careers as working royals.

Whether Mike and Zara would want to give up their private life for greater responsibilities remains to be seen.