Princess Anne’s son-in-law, Mike Tindall, is celebrating his 48th birthday on October 19, and Zara Tindall’s husband might not have a royal title, but he’s a firm favorite amongst the Wales family. Mike, who formerly played rugby for England’s national team, shares the same competitive spirit as Prince William and Princess Kate, but one thing he knows all too well is that winning doesn’t teach you as much as losing—and he’s reportedly passed that knowledge on to Prince George.
Mike married the Princess Royal’s daughter, Zara Phillips, in 2011, and over the years, he’s become close with Zara’s cousin, Prince William. In 2025, a source claimed that the Prince of Wales views Mike as a brother figure “and someone he can always rely on,” per Woman's Day (via the Express).
Zara and Mike’s three children are also close with the Waleses, and Princess Charlotte is said to consider Mia Tindall her royal BFF. Given their warm relationship, it’s no wonder that Mike is said to be a source of inspiration for 13-year-old Prince George, who is Zara's godson.
This summer, royal biographer Robert Jobson told the Daily Mail that Mike speaks with the future King about “the one subject nobody else raises.”
As a former pro rugby player, Mike knows a thing or two about winning and losing, and Jobson claimed that George has benefited from speaking with his godmother’s husband on the topic.
“He talks to him about losing, the one subject nobody else raises, because everybody else is invested in the boy winning,” Jobson said. “Mike has lost in front of eighty thousand people. He can be funny about it the next morning.”
Jobson added that Mike serves as an uncle figure in George’s life. “You see it in the photographs. An arm round George's shoulders, leaning in, saying something. No airs and graces about the man, and the child worked that out years ago.”