The relative who was 'dead against' Zara and Mike Tindall marrying

It has been revealed that one relative was 'dead against' Zara and Mike Tindall marrying and took a long time to come around to the idea of their nuptials. 

• Zara Tindall is Princess Anne's only daughter and was reportedly the Queen's favourite grandchild.
• In 2011 Zara Phillips married her boyfriend, England rugby player, Mike Tindall.
• In other royal news, Prince William has defied Scottish tradition for decades - and it hasn’t gone unnoticed!

Mike and Zara Tindall are one of the most popular couples in the Royal Family who aren't afraid to show their affection for one another while they are out at public events and celebrations. However, it wasn't all plain sailing for the royal couple, and Mike Tindall himself has revealed that there was one relative who was very much against their relationship.

Mike Tindall and his father Philip were interviewed back in June 2020 and opened up about how Mike won around the Royal Family. At the time, Philip told The Times, that actually it was Mike's grandmother who didn't want her grandson to marry a member of the Royal Family.

"He started playing for England in 2000 and it wasn’t too long before he met and moved in with Zara. Linda’s mum was dead against it," began Philip in the interview.

He explained that Linda believed that their family would be 'shunned' because the Queen's granddaughter would be marrying a commoner and the public wouldn't like it."In her day, royalty married royalty and she thought the wedding would be shunned," he said.

However, their relationship with the royals couldn't be further from this and Philip explained that the whole family welcomed them with open arms. "But right from the start the whole family was just lovely. We’d go on a Friday night to watch the match and stop over," he said. 

Philip then recalled specific moments with Princess Anne and her ex-husband Mark Phillips - Zara's father. "Sometimes we’d all go out for lunch with Zara’s mum on Sunday before we went home. We spent quite a bit of time with her dad too," he said.

He then revealed they even spent time with Zara's cousin Prince Harry who was enthusiastic about his cousin's relationship with an England Rugby legend. "Harry would often be round watching the rugby, so, slowly and quietly, we got to meet them all — and that’s how it went on for quite a few years." 

Philip then sadly revealed that Mike's grandmother never got to meet Zara, but he insisted that she would have loved seeing her grandson so happy with Zara. "Linda’s mum died before she could meet Zara, but I know she’d have loved her as much as we do because she and Mike are perfect for each other. What one starts, the other finishes; they are a fantastic team," he concluded.