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The festive period brings with it an opportunity for fans to see senior royals such as King Charles, Prince William and Princess Catherine interacting with members of the extended (and little known) members of the royal family.
To many, these distant relations may seem unfamiliar as the royals no longer invite cousins and non-working family members onto the Buckingham Palace balcony for public events, but some may be surprised at the apparent closeness that exists between them and their more famous relatives.
One such family member, Mike Tindall, has seen their profile increase in recent months, after appearing in a popular British reality show in 2022, and being photographed with an arm around Prince George on Christmas Day.
Tindall may once have been best known as a sportsman inside the U.K. but he is now connected with the country's most famous family and increasingly spotted joking with William and his children.
Mike Tindall: Sportsman
Michael "Mike" James Tindall was born in October 1978 in Yorkshire, England. His father played rugby before moving into banking and so his son began playing the game from an early age and turned professional after leaving school.
In 1997, at the age of 18, he signed with Bath Rugby Club and in 2000 made his debut on the England rugby squad. In 2003, Tindall played for England during the Rugby World Cup which was hosted in Australia. England progressed through the tournament, winning the final game against Australia with a 20-7 point score.
In December 2003, following the World Cup win, Tindall was appointed as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) by Queen Elizabeth II for his services to rugby.
He retired from playing professionally in 2014, instead focusing on independent business pursuits which include co-hosting the podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby with fellow England Rugby player James Haskell.
A Royal Wedding
Mike Tindall is related to the royals through his marriage to King Charles III's niece, Zara Tindall (née Phillips). Zara is the only daughter of Princess Anne and was therefore a granddaughter of Queen Elizabeth II.
Zara does not hold the title of princess or any other title of nobility. A title would not have been automatic (children of a monarch's daughter do not receive them), however, reports state that Queen Elizabeth offered to give them to Anne's children which was politely declined by the princess. In recent years, both Anne and Zara have said the decision was the right one as it has made life "easier."
Zara is a professional showjumper and an Olympic silver medal winner. The couple first met in 2003 during Tindall's winning Rugby World Cup tournament in Australia and in 2010, Buckingham Palace announced their engagement.
Their wedding took place in Edinburgh on July 30, 2011, just three months after Zara's first cousin Prince William married Kate Middleton.
Together, Tindall and Zara have three children: Mia Grace (born 2014), Lena Elizabeth (2018) and Lucas Philip (2021).
Mike Tindall, Prince William and Prince George
In the years since Mike Tindall and Zara began dating, her first cousin Prince William has been increasingly photographed with the couple on intimate terms.
William and Zara are known to have been close throughout their childhood, and she was made a godmother to the prince's eldest son, Prince George, in 2013.
Together with Kate, Tindall, Zara and William have been regularly photographed attending equestrian events with their children in recent years, as well as joking as a foursome during the Royal Ascot horse races and other family events.
In 2023, William and Kate appeared as guests on a special episode of Tindall's The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast alongside Princess Anne ahead of the Rugby World Cup, each sharing jokes with one another as they discussed their love of sport.
In December, Tindall was asked about his relationship with William in an interview for the BBC in which he jokingly admitted to giving the Prince of Wales the nickname "One Pint Willy" owing to the fact that he isn't a big drinker.
This shared banter and closeness has led some tabloids and commentators to suggest that Tindall has filled a familial void left by the absence of Prince Harry since his move to the U.S. in 2020.
Discussing Tindall and William's relationship, royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams told Newsweek that they share "plenty in common" with one another, despite their different backgrounds.
"Mike Tindall occupies a special place in the royal family," he said. "He is a sports star, the husband of Zara Phillips and laddish, who gets away with behavior other royals wouldn't even try.
"A stint on I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here [British reality show]...and unorthodox behavior from this self-described binge drinker are par for the course and the public accept it, as he is and Zara are not working royals."
"He's a nice guy and he and William hit it off," he said of his widely reported relationship with William. "He's also been publicly friendly to George and Louis. The podcast that William and Catherine took part in with Princess Anne and Tindall underlines this friendly relationship. The Waleses are especially keen on sports and this means they have plenty in common with Mike and Zara."
As the couples' children, close in age, continue to grow up together, their bonds have become more visible to the public.
As well as joking around between Tindall and Prince George at the royal Christmas Day appearance at St Mary Magdalen Church in Sandringham this year, another Wales/Tindall bond was on show, when Mia Tindall was photographed holding hands with Prince Louis and chatting with Princess Charlotte during the appearance.
James Crawford-Smith is Newsweek's royal reporter, based in London. You can find him on X (formerly Twitter) at @jrcrawfordsmith and read his stories on Newsweek's The Royals Facebook page.
Do you have a question about King Charles III, William and Kate, Meghan and Harry, or their family that you would like our experienced royal correspondents to answer? Email royals@newsweek.com. We'd love to hear from you.
About the writer
James Crawford-Smith is a Newsweek Royal Reporter, based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on the British royal family ... Read more