YOU might expect to find royalty spending their evenings eating fancy food, wearing designer gowns and dripping in diamonds.
But for one royal couple, life is a lot more ‘normal’ than you’d imagine – we’re talking curry and beer nights and muddy dog walks.
Prince William and Prince Harry‘s cousin Zara Tindall, 41, and her ex-rugby star husband Mike Tindall, 43, lead a very down-to-earth life with their three kids Mia, eight, Lena, four, and Lucas, one.
From Ann Summers parties and tongue piercings to sibling spats in the royal box, here we take a look at how the Tindall clan has carved out a reputation as Britain’s most relatable royals.
She’s the late Queen’s eldest granddaughter and King Charles‘ niece, so as royalty goes, Zara is pretty ‘up there’ – which is why she caused a stir by getting her tongue pierced aged 17.
Princess Anne’s daughter famously revealed her tongue stud to the rest of the royal family at Charles’ 50th birthday party in 1998.
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She didn’t stop there either; it was rumoured she had a belly button piercing and in 2000 she made headlines for reportedly hosting an Ann Summers lingerie party at Gatcombe Park.
Her official biographer Brian Hoey remarked: “She was pushing the boundaries for a young member of the Royal Family in those days.”
Over the years Zara has continued to show her carefree and fun-loving side – delighting diners by belting out Paul Simon’s hit Call Me Al during karaoke at an event in 2019.
Zara and Mike’s romance is far from pretentious, too.
The pair met in Australia in 2003 during the Rugby World Cup, after they were introduced to each other in a bar in Sydney by Zara’s cousin Prince Harry.
The couple’s relationship blossomed back in the UK, but it wasn’t all big elaborate romantic gestures – things happened naturally.
Mike later told the Daily Mail: “We got introduced but didn’t speak that much.
“Later on, [rugby player] Austin Healey gave me her number and said, ‘She wants you to text her, to say where you’re all going out after the final so she can come along.’”
Unlike Kate Middleton and Prince William, Mike and Zara have never shied away from a PDA and happily show their love for each other.
But when it comes to dates, they reportedly love nothing more than a night in front of the telly.
According to reports, Mike proposed at home while Zara was watching TV.
It was this level of normality which the Queen was said to have adored about her eldest granddaughter and her family.
One royal source said: “Zara and Mike relax in their dog-strewn home with a box-set, a good curry and some lagers.”
If they do fancy a night out, it’s understood Princess Anne babysits so they can enjoy a date at the local pub near where they live in Gloucester.
Zara’s family don’t hold any royal titles, a decision made by Princess Anne – which the former Olympic equestrian is relieved about.
Speaking in 2015, she said: “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”
Zara and Mike’s children are regularly spotted playing without a care in the world at public events – with the older siblings spotted squabbling during the Jubilee.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously revealed the Queen liked to be around the Tindalls as she preferred “ordinary people like Mike more than she does those that pander to her”.
Yorkshire-born Mike is a hit with Princes William and Harry too – despite the fact he says what he thinks.
While he delighted fans at the Jubilee by larking about trying on Zara’s fascinator, he reportedly landed himself in a spot of bother after branding Prince Harry a ‘b****nd’, reports The Daily Express.
He previously joked that members of the Royal Family would like to “throw a few punches” at the Duke of Sussex.
Mike’s willingness to say it how it is just shows how all families have their disputes.
This week Mike spoke of the amazing way the royals pulled together in the wake of the Queen’s death – adding it felt like “the world has lost their grandmother in some ways”.
In a special episode of his podcast, The Good, The Bad and the Rugby, the former England player admitted he wished he’d “asked her so many more things” while she was alive, and spoke of his wife’s sadness at her passing.
“I’m not even a direct family member… but watching what my wife, what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else,” he said.
“Their connection with horses, the same with the Princess Royal, they had a real sort of bond around that.”
Mike and Zara have had their fair share of heartache over the years too, and have been refreshingly honest about it.
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Zara became the first member of the royal family to speak publicly about miscarriage, revealing she lost two babies following the birth of her eldest daughter.
“It’s been a horrible road,” she told BBC Breakfast – showing a vulnerable side often considered rare in a royal.
