When Mike Tindall married Zara Phillips in 2011, media headlines were quick to dub him ‘Zara’s boy from blacksmith stock.’ This moniker was reflective of the way the press often compared him to Kate Middleton, portraying both as figures who brought a touch of commonality into royal circles. Today, as Tindall marks his 47th birthday, it’s worth revisiting how these narratives were crafted and why they resonate.

Tindall hails from West Yorkshire, and his lineage of tradesmen, including blacksmiths, was often highlighted to underscore his ‘working-class’ roots. This portrayal suggested a blend of humble beginnings with royal pomp, making for an intriguing story of class mingling. Yet, the reality of Tindall’s upbringing paints a slightly different picture.

In truth, Mike was privately educated and spent his formative years in a picturesque market town, a far cry from the stereotypical working-class image the media painted. This background aligns more closely with that of Kate Middleton, who also came from a well-to-do, if not aristocratic, family.

Interestingly, Tindall’s connection to the royal family predates his romance with Zara Phillips. In his 2024 book, “The Good, The Bad and The Rugby,” he reflects on this relationship, noting that he had already crossed paths with royal figures through his rugby career. “William and Harry were avid rugby fans back in the early 2000s,” he explains, “and through them, I met Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.” Such encounters were frequent, given the princes’ enthusiasm for the sport and the regular mingling between England’s rugby stars and the royal family.

Mike, who co-authored the 2024 book, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, said: ‘My relationship with the Royal Family began before I started dating Zara.

‘William and Harry were really keen rugby fans in the early 2000s and the England players met them numerous times, and through them I met Princesses Eugenie and Beatrice.

‘It helped that Zara’s mum, the Princess Royal, had been a top rider (she won individual gold at the 1971 European Championships and competed at the 1976 Olympics), as had Zara’s dad.

‘The Princess Royal understood how hard I’d had to work to make as a professional rugby player, and she just loved the game.

Mike and Zara Tindall leave Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh after their wedding on July 30, 2011

Mike, who co-authored the 2024 book, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, said: ‘My relationship with the Royal Family began before I started dating Zara’

‘The Duke of Edinburgh was a keen sportsperson as well, whether it was cricket, polo or carriage driving, so he knew the kind of people sportsmen were and enjoyed chatting with them.

‘Meanwhile, the Queen was patron of lots of sporting charities and obviously mad about horse racing.

‘She spoke to trainers, owners and jockeys all the time, so she knew a great deal about what sportspeople had to go through, which is hell in the case of jockeys.

‘And because all of them understood where I came from, and accepted that completely, I never felt uneasy in their company.

‘Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal Family was pretty easy for me. 

‘They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really.’

Later in the book, Mike wrote that ‘there’s a lot of drama surrounding the Royal Family’, but they ‘aren’t much different to anyone else underneath it all’.

In 2008, Mike called Princess Anne a ‘legend’ and said that Zara’s father, Mark Phillips, was ‘lovely too’.

He said at the time: ‘My mates in Wakefield are forever asking how I fit in among the Royal Family but they are really down to earth.’

A year later, they were officially a couple and then in 2010 they officiated their relationship by getting engaged.

Speaking to HELLO! the rugby player said: ‘I don’t think it is about whether we will get married but when.’

He continued: ‘I was upstairs, plucking up the nerve to do it, while Zara was downstairs watching television.

‘It was all about shock value – I wanted to catch her when it was quiet, and she wasn’t expecting anything.’

The couple were at home when he walked in and got down on one knee.

‘She was in complete shock,’ Mike recalled. ‘Then, when she stopped laughing, she said “yes”. That was a relief.’

Releasing a statement at the time, the Royal Palace said: ‘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.’

Two months later, they say ‘I do’, holding their wedding reception at the late Queen’s official Scottish residence, Holyrood Palace.

The Tindalls’ wedding on July 30, 2011, just months after William and Kate’s big day, was not televised and described as a ‘more low-key affair’ for the royal couple. It reportedly cost taxpayers £400k.  

At the time, the Mail on Sunday’s Sarah Oliver wrote: ‘It was the “Other Royal Wedding”, the champagne quaffing, high-spirited hard-partying belly laugh counterpart to the pomp and pageantry of William and Kate’s marriage in April.

‘But as another member of the Royal Family dipped into the middle classes to find herself a rather uncommon commoner – a man who has been capped for his country 70 times – it was also a bellwether as to the changing hopes and expectations of this, the coming generation of the House of Windsor.’

Diana’s butler, Paul Burrell, once described Zara and Mike Tindall as the ‘way forward’ for the Royal Family, noting their ‘down to earth’ nature.  

He said: ‘Mike brings his realness to that equation and he’s a great asset to Zara and his family. 

‘They’re very happy. They just call it as it is, and I think that’s the way forward.’

‘Mike Tindall has done incredibly well to step over that line into a royal world and yet keep one foot in the real world. 

‘He must have a very balanced mind to cope with both entities.’ 

 In recent years, Mike has spoken of how the Royal Family ‘came together overnight’ following the death of the Queen.

The ex-England rugby ace also revealed he is ‘full of regret’ for not asking the Queen more questions during his time with her in a special episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby.

In recent years, Mike has spoken of how the Royal Family ‘came together overnight’ following the death of the Queen 

He said: ‘It’s been sad, emotional but happy. In some ways amazing. To see the family come so close together overnight.

‘You never predict it. A 96-year-old lady, you know it’s going to happen but you’re never ready for when it does.

‘Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that.

‘It’s like the world has lost its grandmother in some way.’

The Tindalls live a converted farmhouse on Princess Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate with their children, Mia, Lena, and Lucas.

The couple moved into the property in 2013 and have since undergone a high-tech revamp, adding features like a cinema and a games room.

Last year, Mike celebrated his birthday, in Barcelona by watching the America’s Cup in Barcelona with Zara and their friends.