Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall were married in Scotland and it was not some big over-the-top affair, more of a ‘family thing.’
Queen Elizabeth II’s granddaughter Zara Phillips, the Queen’s eldest granddaughter and daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips, married England rugby star Mike Tindall on 18 August – but Britain’s second royal wedding of the year was largely a low-key affair. Phillips, 30, who is 13th in line to the throne but does not use a royal title, and Tindall, 32, were greeted by hundreds of flag-waving well-wishers and the sound of traditional bagpipes as they left their wedding service at Edinburgh’s Canongate Kirk following a private ceremony.
The often publicity shy bride wore a traditional ivory silk gown and a full-length flowing veil, but posed only briefly for onlookers – and gave her husband a fleeting, modest kiss – as they left the 17th century church for a reception at the queen’s Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
While the details of Middleton’s wedding gown were a closely guarded secret, Phillips – more commonly seen in jeans or sportswear – made an expected choice in choosing Stewart Parvin, a British designer favoured by the queen. She also wore a Greek Key tiara lent to her by mother Princess Anne, and Jimmy Choo shoes.
Peta Hunt, fashion director of You & Your Wedding magazine said the ivory gown hinted at the bride’s quirky personality.
“Who else could go to a wedding and have their dress done by the same person who does their granny’s? It allowed her to move with ease and grace, but had an element of fun and flirtiness,” Hunt said.
The occasion was far removed from April’s international spectacle at Westminster Abbey, but neatly reflected the couple’s unflashy style. Tindall had even proposed in a modest setting, as he and Phillips curled up on a sofa at home watching a movie.
Princess Anne and Mark Phillips had chosen not to accept royal titles for their two children, Zara and her old brother Peter. That decision enabled the two children to enjoy more freedom than their cousins. They have generally received less scrutiny and have fewer royal duties – that means less time spent at routine events like opening hospital wards or christening lifeboats. Zara has had her tongue pierced, which is not typical protocol for senior royals.
Before the ceremony, royal officials confirmed that Phillips will keep her maiden name rather than be known as Mrs Tindall, largely because of her sporting career.
Phillips is known better for her sporting achievements than her royal heritage, as a world class equestrian who is likely to compete in the 2012 Olympics. Tindall – who Phillips met in 2003 in Australia during England’s triumphant Rugby World Cup campaign – is a leading rugby player who has captained his country.
The ceremony was the first royal wedding held in Scotland since 1992, when Princess Anne – the mother of the bride – married her second husband, Timothy Laurence. Anne’s elder child, Peter Phillips, married his Canadian partner Autumn Kelly in 2008.
Phillips and Tindall hosted a glitzy cocktail party late Friday for relatives and guests aboard the former royal yacht Britannia, which they had hired for the occasion. The famous ship, once used by the queen to tour the world, was decommissioned in 1997. More importantly, the Telegraph noted, four royal coupleshave bunked in the yacht honeymoon suite after their weddings and all have been doomed to failure: Princess Margaret and the Earl of Snowdon sailed in 1960, Zara mum Princess Anne and father Captain Mark Phillips shared the room in 1973, Charles and Diana honeymooned in 1981, and Prince Andrew and Sarah Ferguson used the boat for their honeymoon in 1986. Perhaps it is just as well that Zara Phyllips and Mike Tindall have postponed their honeymoon.