BRITAIN’S most down-to-earth royals Zara and Mike Tindall have announced they are expecting their third child.
Former England Rugby star Mike said on his podcast today: “It’s been a good week for me, had a little scan last week – third Tindall on its way.”
Zara and Mike Tindall have announced they are expecting their third child, to join Mia Grace, six, and Lena Elizabeth, two
The royal couple are parents to Mia Grace, six, and Lena Elizabeth, two, and have proved that the flirty spark doesn’t die after having kids in affectionate shots.
A source told Fabulous: “Mike and Zara are a real team, a strong family unit, genuinely still in love, they hold hands in public, and are the best company to be around.
“They love a Saturday night in their local pub, content in then knowledge that their two happy daughters are tucked up with granny Princess Anne, listening to her reading them stories.”
And although they are members of the royal family Zara and Mike Tindall love nothing more than a date night in with a “curry and a boxset”.
Mike announced the happy news on his podcast this morning
The couple have proved they still have an affectionate spark after having kids, and have been seen playfully patting each other in public
While life is certainly not a struggle when your grandmother is the Queen, Zara, 39, and Mike, 42, have a relatively down-to-earth life, according to a royal source.
The pair met during England’s Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003 after they were introduced to each other in a bar in Sydney by Zara’s cousin Prince Harry, 36.
The couple’s relationship blossomed back in the UK, and Zara invited the cheeky Gloucester player to the North Cotswold Ball before taking things to the “next level.”
Mike finally popped the question after seven years of dating in typical laid-back Tindall fashion – as they sat watching a movie on the sofa at home before Christmas.
Their engagement was announced by a sweet shot outside their Gloucestershire home on December 21, 2010 – a month after Prince William announced his engagement to long-term partner Kate Middleton.
Zara tied the knot with former rugby union player Mike in 2011 in Edinburgh, and she moved from Cheltenham to live in the “relative calm” of Gatcombe Park, where she grew up.
The couple were introduced in 2003 by Prince Harry, and got married in 2011
And the pitter patter of tiny feet wasn’t far behind, with Mia Grace arriving in 2014, and Lena Elizabeth being born in 2018.
The couple’s strength was demonstrated as they suffered two heartbreaks, after Zara miscarried twice before her second daughter was born.
Speaking to The Celeb Reportday Times Magazine, she said: “I think you need to go through a time where you don’t talk about it because it’s too raw.
“But as with everything, time’s a great healer.”
Mike is known for being a hands-on dad and often plays in public with his girls
This week, Mike has revealed he wants a boy as he currently has two daughters.
He said: “I’d like a boy this time, I’ve got two girls, I would like a boy.
“I’ll love it whether a boy or a girl – but please be a boy.”
The rugby ace also joked about naming the baby after Covid, adding: “We’re not sure what to do Covi or Covina – I don’t know where to go with names.”
They live together at their home in Gloucestershire
The couple have a tight-knit family unit on the estate – and live close to her family.
Zara’s brother Peter Phillips, his Canadian wife Autumn, who he is now separated from, and their two daughters Savannah and Isla also live a stone’s throw away, along with Princess Anne and second husband Admiral Tim Lawrence.
A source added: “She and Mike relax in their dog-strewn home with a box set, a good curry and some lagers to assist the evening.”
When they do enjoy a Saturday date night out in their local pubs in Gloucestershire, their two kids are watched over by Princess Anne.
Proving their affection isn’t just for the cameras, Zara and Mike are often seen stealing hugs, giving kisses and even giving cheeky bum pats when they think no one is looking.
The couple got up close and personal when they starred on BBC’s Top Gear last year
Zara and Mike live on the Gatcombe Estate, close to Princess Anne and Peter Phillips
The couple have secured themselves as firm favourites among the royal family and are often the “first invited to a dinner party”.
Her Majesty, 94, is very close to her eldest granddaughter Zara and Mike– and a royal expert claims she has a “tighter bond with them than she does with Kate and William”.
Ingrid Seward, Editor-in-Chief of Majesty Magazine, told Fabulous that the Queen likes to be around the Tindalls as they seem more “normal” than the Cambridges.
The couple have secured themselves as firm favourites among the royal family
Ingrid, who is the author of My Husband & I – the story of the Queen and Prince Philip’s 70-year marriage, said Her Majesty is so close Zara as are neither are “intellectuals”.
Zara, who is a cousin of Prince William and Prince Harry, was seen at Royal Ascot joking with the rest of the famous family – and her sweet bond with Prince Charles was on show for all to see.
Prince William and Kate Middleton also hold her in high esteem, and selected her to be one of Prince George’s godparents.
Zara is also known to have a sweet, close bond with Prince Charles
The source said: “Zara was the first choice to be godmother, a role Zara takes very seriously.
“At Gatcombe there are equal dollops of fun, new skill learning, a bit of riding, mini rugby and outward bound pursuits.
“Mia and George are inseparable chums, egged on by Savannah and Isla. Muddy clothes, wet dogs, shrieking giggles, play fights are all to be expected by the Tindalls.”
The source said: “Zara is often seen running errands in her Range Rover, out on a quad bike, feeding horses, walking dogs, but can scrub up nicely for a Royal engagement.
Her Majesty, 94, is very close to her eldest granddaughter Zara and Mike
The Tindalls seen joking with Prince William and Kate as Royal Ascot
“Zara is up early, mucking out and riding out with her horses whilst Mike will attend to his daughters.
“They have a 50:50 split in their parental responsibilities.”
While Zara’s cousin Prince Harry and wife Meghan Markle have just forked out for an £11million mansion in California, life at Gatcombe is much more informal.
“Guests at Gatcombe are treated to ‘Muck in and be merry’”, said the source.
“There are no formalities, what you see is what you get.
“Christmas at Sandringham is enhanced by the upbeat Tindalls who diffuse any royal falling outs and pecking order disruptions as soon as possible.”
Royal fans recently loved that Zara ‘couldn’t keep her hands off’ Mike when they starred on Top Gear, and praised her for singing karaoke at the Celebrity Cup at the Celtic Manor in Wales.
The Tindalls may be popular, but a source has claimed that Mike has been warned to keep his lips zipped when it comes to the royal family’s personal lives.
