Princess Anne’s daughter, Zara Tindall (née Phillips), found an instant connection with Mike Tindall.
Mike, a former rugby union player, ultimately proposed to Olympic silver medalist Zara — whom the Princess Royal shares with ex-husband Captain Mark Phillips, alongside son Peter Phillips — in December 2010. They wed one year later at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, Scotland.
While navigating married life, Zara and Mike have also expanded their family, welcoming daughters Mia and Lena in 2014 and 2018, respectively. The pair’s third child, son Lucas, eventually followed in June 2021.
Zara and Mike have navigated ups and downs in their marriage. “A marriage or long-term relationship can’t always be roses and rainbows,” Mike said during a November 2021 appearance on the U.K.’s Loose Women. “When you have children, that is a massive shock, change to your system that you’ve never experienced and there is going to be those rocky roads. There are things that are thrown at you that have to test both of you and that will test that relationship. The thing is no one is right, no one is wrong. You have to work through it together.”
Scroll below to revisit the royal couple’s complete relationship timeline:
November 2003
Zara first met Mike during a trip to Australia when they started talking during a night out at a local pub.
“She was on her gap year and in Australia with friends. Clive [Woodward, my coach] had just told me I was dropped for the semi-final, so I went out for a beer with two others who weren’t playing, Martin Corry and Austin Healey. Zara was in the same bar; we got introduced but didn’t speak that much,” the retired rugby player told the Daily Mail in June 2011. “Later on, Austin 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.’ Aussie’s going to love me saying this — he’ll take credit for us meeting.”
Mike messaged the equestrian the next day — and their romance took off.
December 2010
“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,” a statement from the royal family read at the time, noting both Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip were “delighted” by the proposal news. (The Duke of Edinburgh later died in April 2021 at age 99, nearly one year before the queen passed away.)
July 2011
Zara wore an ivory gown designed by Stewart Parvin, the queen’s personal couturier, and carried a bouquet of calla lilies and thistles at the pair’s intimate Scottish wedding.
January 2014
The twosome welcomed their first child, daughter Mia, on January 17.
June 2018
After suffering two miscarriages, Zara gave birth to daughter Lena on June 18.
May 2020
Amid the coronavirus pandemic, the couple supported England’s NHS and medical professionals by clapping at the end of their evening shift change.
December 2020
“Not the best way to start 2021 going into competition with my better half, especially a pregnant one but sometimes it has to be done for great causes,” Mike gushed via Instagram, confirming Zara was expecting baby No. 3.
March 2021
The former Gloucester Rugby athlete and Zara were pleased to finally add a son to their brood on March 21.
June 2022
The twosome shared a selfie from the Royal Ascot horse race during the queen’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations.
September 2022
The queen died at the age of 96 on September 8. Amid the funeral plans, Mike accompanied Zara to a memorial service at Westminster Hall in London.
September 2022
The couple mourned the queen together at her state funeral in London.
November 2022
Mike joined the cast of I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, a U.K. reality TV competition. In between taking on various challenges with his campmates, Mike revealed the sweet advice that Zara gave him before arriving.
“Zara told me to go and be myself, which is all you can be. She said to go enjoy and be yourself,” he recalled in a November episode. “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.”
He added: “Zara gets it and supports it – with both our careers, she goes away competing for weeks at a time and I always went on tours for three, four weeks in the summer, so our relationship has always been built to deal with that and we’re good at compartmentalizing and finding ways to deal with it.”
November 2022
Mike appeared on the U.K. reality show I’m a Celebrity … Get Me Out of Here!, braving challenges in the Australian jungle until he was voted out. “Reunited!!! ❤️ Back to normality and time to eat!!! Thanks for all the kind messages! It was a blast!” he wrote alongside a sweet selfie with his wife — before also posting photos of his burger and fries.
December 2022
Zara and Mike coordinated in gray outfits during the royal family’s procession to Sandringham Church on Christmas Day.
April 2023
Mike and Zara held hands with Mia and Lena during the royal family’s annual Easter mass at St George’s Chapel.
May 2023
Zara stunned in a blue dress and matching fascinator at uncle King Charles III’s coronation, as she entered hand-in-hand with Mike.
June 2023
Zara and Mike were all smiles at the Epson Downs Racecourse to watch the annual Derby race.
September 2023
Mike revealed during an episode of his “The Good, the Bad and The Rugby” podcast just how competitive the married couple gets during sports matches.
“I would say that we have that competitiveness about anything — if we play tennis, she would always want to beat me,” he confessed to Zara’s cousins Prince William and Princess Kate. “She always talks about sprinting through it.”
Anne, who also appeared on the podcast episode, concurred with her son-in-law and jokingly called their antics “dreadful.”
June 2024
Zara and Mike stepped out at a June 13 screening of Federer: Twelve Final Days, a documentary starring tennis champ Roger Federer. The married couple twinned in black as they cuddled on the red carpet.