Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall: wedding details in full

Zara Phillips arrived in the Edinburgh sunshine for her wedding to Mike Tindall, the second royal wedding of the year.

Zara Phillips's wedding: the fashion verdict

BY JUSTINE PICARDIE | 30 JULY 2011

Biography

Tindall was born in Otley, Leeds, West Yorkshire, and was educated at the private, fee-paying Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield, while his father Phil captained Otley. He refused braces to straighten his teeth, one of his greatest regrets; and served fish and chips from a van while studying.

Bath

Tindall joined Bath straight from school, as an 18-year-old in 1997. At that point the centre pairing at Bath and England were Jeremy Guscott and Phil de Glanville. But after the 1999 Rugby World Cup, Tindall stepped up to become a regular fixture at both club and country level, making his debut against Ireland at Twickenham in 2000 alongside Mike Catt.

Despite receiving criticism over the years, in particular from Will Carling and ex-Bath fly-half Stuart Barnes, he cemented the outside centre position as his own with a partnership with inside centre Will Greenwood, playing in the2003 Rugby World Cup. Tindall played in the number 12 jersey and played at outside centre, with Greenwood in the number 13. The shirt numbers frequently misled people into thinking they played the other way around, though in fact those who watched saw that Tindall all but invariably lined up outside Greenwood. He was dropped for the semi-final in favour of Mike Catt, whose kicking was required in the rainy weather, but reinstated in the final.

Tindall missed the 2005 Six Nations with a foot injury and subsequently failed to regain his fitness for the British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand. Described by England's former head coach, Andy Robinson as the 'heartbeat' of the side, Tindall was gradually finding his way back to form following a lengthy absence from the game during 2005.

Tindall's contract was up for renewal, but Bath have a strict salary cap policy, and after falling out with Bath owner Andrew Brownsword over the offer of an early testimonial game and further concerns over his long term fitness, Tindall ended his eight-year association with Bath and joined their West Country rivals Gloucester Rugby on a three year deal worth£150,000.

Gloucester Rugby

After returning from injury in the Autumn of 2005, Tindall regained his England place but this time at number 12. However at club level he continued to play at 13 with the 12 shirt going to Henry Paul. The partnership was heavily criticised as being flat and boring and Tindall spent much of the season showing a poor run of form despite selection week in, week out. It wasn't until an incident at Tindall's girlfriend's birthday party that Henry Paul broke club rules and fell out of favour with Gloucester Rugby coach, Dean Ryan. This brought in the introduction of young centre Anthony Allen, which towards the end of the season helped forged what became the start of a very powerful centre partnership. His partnership with Jamie Noon for England was much criticised, with many people claiming that the bulky partnership lacked imagination and play-making ability. Tindall has a strong cult following however, and is often nicknamed "The Fridge" due to his sizeable bulk.

During his recuperation from another injury in 2005, Tindall entered the prestigious British Poker Open tournament, finishing in 3rd place in his heat before being eliminated by John Gale. On 18 November 2006 Tindall made his first Guinness Premiership start of the season against third-placed Wasps. Troubled by a calf injury so far into the 2006/07 season, he had made only two appearances as a replacement, against Worcester and Irish Tindall came back from his injury however with a much more highly rated run of form. His 10, 12 and 13 partnership of Ryan Lamb, Anthony Allen and himself inspired him to play more attacking and exciting rugby and since has become a Gloucester Rugby favourite. Gloucester supporters now affectionately hold him with high regard and he continued the season extremely well in helping Gloucester Rugby with his own running abilities, powerful defence and tactical kicking to top spot of the Guinness Premiership.

Tindall was again included in the England starting line up for the 2007 Six Nations opener against Scotland atTwickenham, under new head coach Brian Ashton. Selected to play outside former Rugby League star Andy Farrell, the pair combined to make what is arguably the largest centre partnership in international history.

In April 2007 playing away against Newcastle Falcons in the Guinness Premiership, Tindall broke his leg in a tackle on Toby Flood and this forced him to miss the rest of the season, including the Guinness Premiership final, where his leadership would have been critical in a young backline. This also precluded his selection for the 2007 Rugby World Cup.

In October 2007 Tindall returned to the Gloucester Rugby starting line up after recovering from injury against Worcester Warriors at home in the Guinness Premiership. Tindall had a fairytale comeback, scoring a try to the Shed's delight. He has since played most of Gloucester Rugby's games scoring a handful of tries including one against Ulster Rugby in the Heineken Cup, where he contributed to Gloucester Rugby setting a new record in the Tournament's history, the fastest time to score 4 tries and collect the try bonus point.

On 7 December 2007 against Bourgoin in the Heineken Cup, Tindall limped off the field with a severe shin injury sustained in a similar tackle from that done against Newcastle last season when Tindall broke his leg. Despite this injury, Tindall recovered fast and played the following week, and continued his form for Gloucester.

In February 2008 Tindall was named in England Head Coach Brian Ashton's squad for the upcoming 6 Nations tournament, and thus started for England at outside centre against Wales at Twickenham on 2 February 2008. Early in the second half of the game, Tindall dived on the ball in open play, landing on Welsh full-back Lee Byrne's foot which pressed up into his chest. Tindall was stretchered off showing signs of severe pain, but the immediate belief was damage to his ribcage, however 45 minutes later he was rushed to hospital, where it became clear he had punctured his lung, and also torn a 2 inch tear in his liver, from which 2 pints of blood bled before clotting. Tindall spent the following 5 days in intensive care before he was released to return to his home at Gatcombe Park.

Tindall has since stated in a press conference that he's just happy to be alive after his ordeal, but is looking forward to returning to the rugby field for Gloucester in what he hopes will be towards the "business end of the season" (April), however, this seems quite unlikely bearing in mind his ordeal. In January 2008, Tindall announced a new 3 year deal signed to remain at Gloucester Rugby until the end of the 2011 season.

Personal life

Tindall has two criminal convictions for drunk driving. On 8 January 2009 he was convicted, was banned from driving for three years and fined £500 for drunk-driving, with £75 costs. This was the consequence of an incident on the M4 motorway on 15 March 2008, following a day out at Cheltenham Racing Festival with Zara Phillips. This was Tindall's second drunk driving conviction. The earlier conviction, in 2000, resulted in a 16-month disqualification (which was in itself in excess of the obligatory 12-month disqualification for a first offence).

On 21 December 2010 it was announced that he was engaged to Zara Phillips, the daughter of the Princess Royal, and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips. Phillips is the granddaughter of the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh. The wedding was held on 30 July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh with the attendance of all senior members of the Royal Family.

References

1. ^ "Zara Phillips engaged to England rugby star Mike Tindall" . Daily Mail. 21 December 2010. Retrieved 21 December 2010.
2. ^ Townsend, Nick Tindall: The heart of England – rebuilt, ready and refreshed  The Observer – 4 September 2005
3. ^ Guardian Q&Q  The Guardian – November 25, 2006
4. ^ Tindall fires salvo at critics  BBC Sport – 31 December 2000
5. ^ Tindall signs for Gloucester Rugby  BBC Gloucestershire – 7 February 2005
6. ^ Tindall defends Noon partnership  BBC Sport – 2 February 2006
7. ^ [1] ^{[dead link]}
8. ^ Tindall & Hodgson miss World Cup  BBC News – 13 August 2007
9. ^ "Tindall 'drink-drive' allegation" . News.bbc.co.uk. 18 March 2008. Retrieved 2008-11-13.
10. ^ "England rugby star's driving ban" . BBC News. 8 January 2009. Retrieved 5 January 2010.

External links

• Gloucester profile 
• England profile 
• Mike Tindall photo by sportingheroes.net 
• Photo of Mike Tindall in action for England, by George Bladon/nrgsportspix.com 
• Mike Tindall To Marry Zara Phillips On Saturday, 30 July 2011 
• Archives Tindall 
• Calderdale ancestry 
• Peerage News 

The other royal wedding: Palace rebel Zara Phillips weds rugby hero Mike Tindall

Jul 31 2011 Lauren Crooks, Sunday Mail 

THE Queen's grand-daughter Zara Phillips tied the knot in sun-kissed Edinburgh yesterday after keeping rugby star Mike Tindall waiting at the church.

Royal rebel Zara arrived at Canongate Kirk just as anxious-looking minister the Rev Neil Gardener had left the church for a quick look down the Royal Mile for the missing bride.

She was being driven to the wedding from the Palace of Holyroodhouse, less than half a mile away.

But, for the 2000 well-wishers gathered outside, stunning Zara was worth the eight-minute delay when she stepped out of her Bentley bridal car with dad Captain Mark Phillips.

The former world champion three-day event rider wore a beautiful ivory silk dress by Edinburgh-trained designer Stewart Parvin and the simple Meander tiara given to her by her mum Princess Anne.

By the time she arrived, England rugby international Mike had been waiting for more than an hour.

The 32-year-old sportsman had charmed fans when he spent five minutes smiling and waving to the crowds before he walked into church with international team-mate and best man Iain Balshaw, also 32.

The pair decided against the predicted Highland dress and instead opted for morning suits by Savile Row designer Cad & The Dandy.

Zara - who says she is keeping her maiden surname after the wedding - had told pals she wanted a very different big day from the pomp and ceremony enjoyed by her cousin William and his bride Kate in April.

But a string of celeb arrivals and some eyecatching fashion choices from the royals were greeted with cheers from the crowd outside.

The Queen, dressed in a long peach coat and matching hat, also by Stewart Parvin, and Prince Philip were met with loud applause when they arrived not long before the bride.

Prince Charles and Camilla held hands as they entered the church and Camilla, sporting an extravagant floral headdress and a mint-green coat dress, waved to the waiting fans.

William and Kate made a low-key entry with Prince Harry. Kate smiled at the crowds but did not linger too long in the courtyard before entering the church.

A total of nine busloads of guests arrived to waving flags and cheers.

They included Katherine Kelly, who plays Becky McDonald in Coronation Street, a childhood friend of Mike's from Yorkshire.

She brought a touch of showbiz glamour among the royal grandeur in a long blush-coloured dress, orange hat and matching accessories.

A host of rugby figures were also among the guests, including England team manager Martin Johnson and Sir Clive Woodward, his predecessor.

Other wellknown sporting faces included Amy Williams - the gold-medal winning skeleton racer - jockey AP McCoy, and Zara's godfather, Scottish motor-racing legend Sir Jackie Stewart.

Other guests included Una Healy from The Saturdays, who accompanied her rugby player boyfriend Ben Foden, and TV presenter Natalie Pinkham, an old flame of Prince Harry.

After a 45-minute private ceremony, the couple emerged beaming from the historic kirk to a huge cheer.

They smiled and waved to the cheering crowd and spoke to Rev Gardner.

Then the happy couple looked deep into each other's eyes and gave the crowd what they had been waiting for - the obligatory big kiss.

The couple were then driven down to greet guests at the Palace of Holyroodhouse for their evening reception which was not expected to wind-up until the very early hours.

Police had said they would not allow more than 2000 people on the Royal Mile yesterday.

But it was estimated that 10,000 people will have visited the city centre yesterday.

Zara and Mike have been together for eight years after meeting in a pub during the 2003 World Cup in Sydney, Australia.

They hit it off partly because of their shared dedication to sports - which is also stopping them heading off on honeymoon straight away.

Instead, Mike will return to Surrey tonight to train with the England rugby team.

And Zara is thought to be competing in the horse trials at her mother's Gatcombe Park estate, in Gloucestershire later in the week.

Making a statement: Singer Una Healy (left) wore a floral bandeau dress and tilted hat, while actress Katherine Kelly wore a pale pink asymmetrical number at the wedding of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall yesterday

Una Healy, Katherine Kelly and Kirsty Gallacher lend some celebrity glamour to Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall's wedding

By EMILY SHERIDAN

31st July 2011

At the extravagant April wedding of Prince William and Kate Middleton, Westminster Abbey was full of royals, heads of state and politicians.

But at the smaller scale nuptials of Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall yesterday, it was somewhat of a more glamorous guest list with stars from the world of pop, TV and sport garnering attention.

Leading the famous faces in the pews of Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh were soap star Katherine Kelly, The Saturdays' singer Una Healy and TV presenter Kirsty Gallacher.

And of course, there was plenty of representation from the world of sport, with both Tindall's teammates past and present and Phillips' colleagues from the riding world in attendance.

One of the first to arrive was Coronation Street actress Kelly, who went for a Seventies-look in a pale pink asymmetrical ankle-length dress by James Stewart Couture and a striking orange H'atelier hat and oversized clutch bag.

She said recently: 'I went to school in Wakefield with Mike. Our parents live in the same village and we’ve stayed really good mates.'

Going for a much sexier look was Irish singer Healy, 29, in a black floral-print bandeau dress and white and mocha peep-toe heels.

She accesorised her tight dress with an oversized saucer hat by milliner Philip Treacy, pale pink pashmina and a nude clutch.

Healy attended with her boyfriend, Northampton Saints and England player Ben Foden - a teammate of Tindall.

Ahead of the nuptials, she wrote of her excitement at being invited on Twitter: 'Thanks to my stylists Frank Strachan and Lloyd Powell for sorting me a Philip Treacy Hat for The Royal Wedding tomorrow!

'Just about to take off for Edinburgh with Ben, really excited for the weekend.'

Sky Sports presenter Gallacher, who wed rugby player Paul Sampson last year, found her pretty multi-coloured dress overshadowed by her unusual jade fascinator.

Gallacher has become good friends with the bride thanks to their respective spouses, who were previously teammates for Bath.

The TV presenter even became one of the lucky few to see Zara's Stewart Parvin dress before the big day.

The 35-year-old said: 'Zara's so cool, she's going to look amazing, she's chosen a beautiful dress.

'Mike and Zara are brilliant together. She's so good for him, she's so chilled out and he's quite laid back as well so they fit together really nicely.

'Obviously she's really into sport and he loves the life they lead together with the horses and they've got lots of dogs so it's lovely.'

Another TV star in attendance was Natalie Pinkham, an old friend of Prince Harry, who wore a red Beulah London dress, nude heels and twisted crepe fascinator.

Among those from the rugby world watching Miss Phillips making an honest man of Tindall included Jonny Wilkinson, Austin Healy, Martin Johnson, Lewis Moody, Clive Woodward, David Flatman and Lawrence Dallaglio.

Cheering on the bride as she walked down the aisle were her fellow eventers William Fox-Pitt, Elizabeth Power and Jayne Doherty.

Just married: Zara Phillips and her new husband Mike Tindall's official wedding photo in Holyrood Abbey

Suited and booted: Racing driver Sir Jackie Stewart and his wife Helen (left) and equestrian William Fox-Pitt and his wife Alice Plunkett

Rugby faces: (Left to right) Clive Woodward,

Austin Healey and Martin Johnson make their way inside

Ready to party: former England captain Lawrence Dallaglio

and his wife Alice leave after the wedding

Well heeled: TV presenter Natalie Pinkham (left)

in a Beulah London red dress,

and Olympic skeleton racer Amy Williams

in pale pink, both wore nude heels

Dapper: Healy's date was her boyfriend and Tindall's teammate Ben Foden

Revealed: The eight-hour drinking session that tipped Zara's boyfriend over the limit

By LUCY BALLINGER

 8th January 2009

The rugby star boyfriend of Zara Phillips has been banned from driving for three years for taking the wheel the morning after a drink binge at the races. 

Mike Tindall, 30, drank four beers, seven glasses of champagne and a vodka with Red Bull in an eight-hour session. 

At 10.45 the next morning, the Gloucester and England player was tailed by police who spotted him 'driving erratically' and veering around the fast lane of the M4 at 90mph. 

He was stopped after his Range Rover swerved across all three lanes into a service station near junction 12 at Reading. 

A blood test found he had 91mg of alcohol per 100ml of blood, over the limit of 80mg. Miss Phillips was not in the car.

Magistrates in Reading heard yesterday that he had spent the afternoon before the incident last March at the Cheltenham Festival with Miss Phillips, the Queen's granddaughter, before they went to a restaurant that night. 

He drank from 4pm at the races to just after midnight at Monty's Brasserie, Cheltenham, consuming 20.7 units of alcohol. 

The Government's recommended weekly total for men is 21 units. 

Tindall, who was recovering from an injury, was on his way to commentate for television on an England Six Nations match against Ireland at Twickenham when he was stopped. 

He was said to have been 'shocked and embarrassed' when a breathalyser test at the scene was positive and he was arrested for drink-driving. 

Tindall, of Minchinhampton, Gloucestershire, had already been banned for 16 months in 2000 after drink-driving.

Yesterday, he was fined £500 plus £75 costs and ordered to attend a course about the dangers of drink-driving. 

The incident came five weeks after he damaged his liver in a tackle during an England match. 

Miss Phillips, 27, and Tindall's family spent five days at his bedside in intensive care after doctors found a rib had punctured a lung and torn a hole in his liver. 

Tindall's solicitors originally said that the injury had lowered his body's ability to eliminate alcohol. But medical experts found this was not the case. 

Mark Milliken-Smith, defending, said a liver expert found that Tindall's ability to eliminate alcohol was low and could not be linked to the injury. 

The barrister added: 'He will have to temper his approach to life generally in future.' 

District Judge Davinder Lachhar said: 'I would not have thought it would be surprising that he was over the limit having drunk so much.'

indall said yesterday: 'I apologise for my actions. I was unaware that my alcohol elimination rate is in the lowest 2 per cent of the population and had that rate been normal, I would have been under the limit. 

'Everybody must be careful to leave a substantial gap between drinking alcohol and driving. People need to be educated about this, as I have been.' 

Carys Davis, of Alcohol Concern, said drinking more than six units a day was binge-drinking, adding: 'This highlights how easy it is to not realise the effects alcohol has on your body the day after a drinking session. 

'People believe if they sleep for a few hours and have a cup of coffee, the alcohol will be gone.'