Mike Tindall has revealed the one word he said to Zara Tindall when the royal couple first met - "hello". The former rugby star was introduced to his future wife by Prince Harry at a bar in Sydney, Australia, during the 2003 Rugby World Cup.
At the time, Mike was drowning his sorrows after being dropped from the England squad ahead of the semi-final. He made the admission on In The Zone, hosted by Manish Bhasin for Gambling Zone.
A one-word introduction
"When we met, I basically only said 'hello'. I didn't really even talk to her because I was, as I said, I was still quite down," Mike said.
Despite the quiet start, something clicked. The pair went on a first date that involved lunch, which Mike later said ended up "being quite a boozy one". He also revealed during a stint on I'm a Celebrity that they were friends before they started seeing each other.
From friends to proposal
They became a couple in 2004, with Mike spotted with Zara at public events. After five years together, Mike proposed to Zara in December 2010.
He told Hello! magazine that he didn't think it was about whether they would get married, but more a matter of when. Mike said Zara was downstairs watching TV at the time while he was upstairs plucking up the courage to do it. The 47-year-old said Zara, 45, was "in complete shock" and said yes once she had stopped laughing.
Royal wedding and family life
Princess Anne's daughter and Mike married on July 30, 2011, in Edinburgh in front of more than 400 guests, including Queen Elizabeth II, Prince Philip and King Charles, the then Prince of Wales. The newlyweds held their wedding reception at Holyrood Palace in the Scottish capital.
The couple went on to become parents to Mia Grace, 12, Lena Elizabeth, eight, and Lucas, five. The family live on Princess Anne's Gatcombe Park estate in Gloucestershire. Earlier this week, Zara and Mike celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary.
