Princess Anne once offered to pay for Mike Tindall to have a rhinoplasty before his wedding to her daughter Zara Phillips in 2011, but the rugby star declined. The former England centre, who broke his nose multiple times during his career, confirmed the offer on the Sky One quiz show A League of Their Own, saying the Princess Royal asked if he would consider surgery.
Mike, then 32, turned down the generous offer because the Rugby World Cup was approaching and he risked breaking his nose again. He married Zara at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh on July 30, 2011, with his signature crooked nose intact. Defending Anne's suggestion, he later told the Radio Times it was a 'light-hearted, jokey comment' and joked, 'look at my nose - can you blame her?'
Years later, Mike underwent corrective surgery for medical reasons, not aesthetics. He told the Daily Telegraph in 2018 that his nose sat at a 45-degree angle with both nostrils collapsed, making it difficult to breathe. 'I loved my nose... but it got to the point where I couldn't breathe properly,' he said. The procedure cleared his airways, and he debuted the result at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding in May 2018.
Despite the surgery, Princess Anne did not notice for six weeks, Mike revealed to Hello! magazine. 'It was fine, exactly the reaction I wanted,' he said. The pair remain close, with Mike once recalling rubbing an England rugby win in her face at Twickenham, telling Closer Magazine: 'Most fellas want to get something over on their mother-in-law.'
