THE ROYAL FAMILY has many different roles that support its function and they must all work together to make sure that it runs as smoothly as possible.
However, they’re not always working and they too need to spend some time relaxing, and two royals who surprisingly do so together are Mike Tindall and Prince William.
Prince Williams has a surprising friendship with Zara Tindall’s husband Mike
Are Mike Tindall and Prince William close friends?
Over the years, Mike Tindall and Prince Williams formed a close friendship.
They can be seen greeting and hugging each other when they meet for royal engagements or attend polo matches.
In 2019, Mike told The Telegraph that the two families like to spend time together, especially since their children are of similar age.
Growing up, William and Harry were raised in Gloucestershire, just a few miles away from Zara and her brother Peter Phillips.
They used to spend a lot of time together, and William also admitted that the Phillips cousins used to make him laugh a lot, especially at royal engagements.
On a Channel 5 documentary titled Zara & Anne: Like Mother Like Daughter, Victoria Arbiter spoke about how close Zara and William grew up to be.
She said: “William is quite serious by nature, he’s actually quite shy – Zara is sort of the comedy cousin that you can turn to where she takes the pressure off everything.
“That friendship is so authentic, there are dozens of photos of William and Zara together over the years, laughing and joking.
“There’s a time when Prince William was holding an umbrella over Zara, he’s protecting her from the rain.
“I think he feels very protective towards her and she feels equally protective of him.
“For William in particular, trust is everything so when you’ve got a cousin that understands what it is to be a member of the Royal Family, but they don’t have the same pressures associated with it, they can be a tower of strength and support.
“It’s Zara’s loyalty and total dedication to her family that has made her such an asset to the cousins that have had to endure the negative side of royal life.”
As they grew up and found the loves of their lives, the friendship grew and Mike Tindall also revealed that they have a Whatsapp group.
He said: “Me, my brother and then a few of Zara’s side like her brother Pete [Phillips] and the cousins are on WhatsApp groups.
“I wouldn’t say we’re cutting edge, but it’s just easier for some reason on WhatsApp.
“It’s just what you do to try and set up get-togethers and we are going to something that is the same.Â
“If you are going to go, [we discuss things like] “Are you going to take the kids?”
“Quite a lot of people have family WhatsApp groups.”
Mike and Prince William are seen playing and giving each other’s children piggybacks on many occasions.
When did Mike Tindall marry Zara and become a member of the Royal Family?
Mike didn’t only win the Rugby World Cup in 2003, but he also won the heart of Zara Tindall when he met her in a bar in Sydney, Australia.
Their relationship became official in April 2004 and then announced their engagement six years later in December 2010.
The Queen gave them her blessing in front of a Privy Council in May 2011 and the pair tied the knot on July 30, 2011, in Edinburgh.
What does Mike Tindall do for a living?
Mike Tindall played rugby union professionally between 1997 and 2014.
He represented England 75 times between 2000 and 2011, wearing the captain’s armband seven times.
He also formed part of the squad that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2003 Six Nations Championships.
Following his retirement in 2014, he has been playing and coaching the amateur side Minchinhampton RFC.
The club is conveniently located for Tindall, who lives with his family in Gatcombe Park estate near Minchinhampton.
Mike shares his passion for rugby by co-hosting the weekly podcast ‘The Good, The Bad & The Rugby’Â with fellow England legend James Haskell and broadcaster Alex Payne.
In October 2022, it was announced that Mike would become the first-ever Royal Family member to be signed up to ITV’s reality show I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.
He also became the first royal to advertise pizza after he appeared in a Dominos commercial.
