RUGBY player Mike Tindall claimed his mother-in-law Princess Anne once jokingly asked him to get a nose job before his wedding to Zara.

The former England star, 45, has a close bond with the Princess Royal and she made the comment before his 2011 wedding.

3

Princess Anne is said to have jokingly told Mike Tindall to get a nose job due to him breaking it eight times during his rugby careerCredit: PA

3

Mike is said to have a close bond with mother-in-law Princess AnneCredit: Getty
Mike had been part of the England squad who won the World Cup in 2003 and had broken his nose at least eight times during his sporting career.

As a result, he had a slight kink in his nose.

In the run-up to Mike’s wedding to Zara, the rugby pro told Sky One’s A League of Their Own that Princess Anne had suggested a corrective surgery.

However, he didn’t go ahead with the procedure as it would have clashed with his training schedule.

Mike defended the comment to the Radio Times in November 2011 after his wedding, saying “it was a light-hearted, jokey comment.

“It wasn’t a big deal, and look at my nose – can you blame her?”

Mike retired in 2014 and he did find time for the surgery in 2018, before Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s lavish royal wedding at Windsor.

The rugby star previously opened up about his close relationship with Princess Anne when he starred on the 2022 I’m a Celebrity.

He told campmates that he had been dancing with Princess Zara at her 30th birthday party.

Mike explained: “Zara had like a 30th birthday, it was a disco 70s-themed one. I was dancing on the dance floor, I had like flares on, full outfit but it was quite tight, nothing ever fits – rugby player’s bum and legs – so I was dancing with my mother-in-law and I did a [expletive] drop in front of my mother-in-law.

“Ripped my trousers, straight in front of her.

Zara and Mike Tindall enjoy snog at boozy Barclaycard presents Isle of Wight Festival while dancing to Pulp’s Common People
“It happened to be that my boxers that I had on at that time said ‘nibble my nuts.’

“As I’ve turned round, she’s [Anne] gone, ‘I’d rather not.’ I’ve gone, ‘Yeah I’m going’ and walked off.”

Mike and Zara 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.

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.”

Inside Mike and Zara’s country home

Mike and Zara sold up their £1.69m mansion in Cheltenham shortly before the birth of their first child Mia in 2014 to move into a cottage in the grounds of the 730-acre country estate of Gatcombe Park.

Since then they have had two more children – Lena and Lucas, who all love living on the sprawling estate.

Princess Anne also lives at the estate with her husband, Timothy Laurence, along with Peter and Autumn Phillips in separate homes due to them being divorced.

And although Mike and Zara rarely open up about their home life, they have revealed a few glimpses inside their house on social media and TV interviews.

The royals have their very own home gym, as revealed by Mike when he participated in the 2.6 Challenge in April 2020.

It has exposed brick walls with a Union Jack flag on display, as well as an exercise bike where Mike took part in the charity bike ride.

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.

And the pitter patter of tiny feet wasn’t far behind, with Mia Grace arriving in 2014, and Lena Elizabeth being born in 2018.

Meanwhile, their son Lucas Philip Tindall was born on March 21, 2021.

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.

3

Mike has since had corrective nose surgery before Meghan and Harry’s royal wedding