Mike Tindall has given a definitive, seven-word response to the question of whether he’d ever entertain the idea of a royal title.
Speaking to Closer Magazine at a charity fundraiser for Debra, the former rugby star was quizzed about the possibility of accepting a royal title.
© Getty ImagesTo which, Mike responded in a firm yet light-hearted way: “I would definitely turn that down.” While he politely declined the idea of a title, Mike did open up about his experience of joining the royal family.
“It was easier than it could have been,” he shared. As Princess Anne was the only daughter of the late Queen and her husband Prince Philip, her children Peter and Zara weren’t guaranteed a royal title.
While the late Queen did offer Princess Anne’s first husband Captain Mark Phillips an earldom, he declined the offer.
© Max Mumby/IndigoIn a similar vein, Anne also turned down her mother’s offer to give Zara and Peter royal titles.
Reflecting on her decision, Princess Anne told Vanity Fair in 2020: “I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles… So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”
Meanwhile in 2015, Zara, 42, told The Times: “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided to not use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”
Zara also publicly thanked her mother for not giving her a royal title. Speaking on Seven: Rob Burrow, The Total Sport Podcast, she said: “From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn’t give us any titles so I really commend her on that. We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way.”
She continued: “My family has a great work ethic as well which I’m hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day.
“Hopefully, we can pass it onto our kids. Now, my brother and my cousins love to go back and do the same things and I hope that our children have the same experiences that we did when we were growing up. You don’t really appreciate that until you’re older and you’ve got kids.”
Rules for royal titles
Peter and Zara do not have titles due to a centuries-old family tradition. Unlike her cousins Princess Beatrice and Princess Eugenie, Zara is not a princess – and likewise, Peter is not a prince.
© Getty ImagesThis is because when a member of the royal family has a child, the rules say that only the father may pass on his title, and the only princes and princesses in the family have fathers in the direct line of succession.
This is the reason why the late Queen’s two oldest sons, King Charles III and Prince Andrew, have been able to grant their children the titles of prince and princesses, while Princess Anne’s children – despite being in line to the throne – did not inherit royal rankings.
