Popular Zara and Mike Tindall are well-known for their public displays of affection as it has been something which continues to endear them to fans of the Royal Family.
This week, the couple - as well as several other members of the family - attended the Cheltenham Festival and were pictured smiling and laughing together.
Reflecting on Zara and Mike's interactions with one another, body language expert Darren Stanton revealed that the pair are an "incredibly tight couple" who share a "reciprocated deep love".
Speaking on behalf of Betfair Live Casino, Stanton said: “Zara and Mike are an incredibly tight couple. They are probably the most tactile and more visually affectionate than any other couple in the royal family. This may be down to the fact that there’s no added pressure on them.
"They’re certainly not under the spotlight as much as other more senior members of the family. Zara and Mike have always had a great rapport. They’re always together in terms of body language, they’re tactile, often holding hands and kissing.
"It’s apparent there’s a deep love between them, which is completely reciprocal. What’s true of their relationship is that they’re always there to help and support each other.”
“Mike is generally always smiling, especially when he’s with Zara. I’ve not seen a miserable picture of them together. The pair come across as very authentic in their matching and mirroring of body language and eye contact. Smiles are usually a good indicator to whether a person is feeling genuinely happy.
"Sometimes in life you have to pose for photographs when you don’t want to, but these two are always in a happy state. It never appears to me that they’re putting on a front. These two just don’t care, they aren’t afraid to show PDA and openly display their affection and love for each other.
"From their overall demeanour and posture, the way they gravitate towards each other proves how strong their bond is, especially at events like Cheltenham. They’re also pretty inseparable - when they’re not together, they’re always looking out for each other. Overall, Zara and Mike appeared stronger than ever. It’s clear they have a great rapport and a very strong, loving marriage.”
The pair met in the Manly Wharf bar in Sydney, Australia during England's Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in 2003 while Zara was on her gap year with a group of friends.
Mike later revealed that Zara had left her number for him and after they spent some time texting she invited him to be her date at the upcoming North Cotswold Ball back in the UK.
While their shared sense of humour certainly formed a solid foundation for their relationship, it was their love of their respective sports which cemented their bond.
Zara - like her mother and father before her - had already excelled in eventing, with Olympic equestrian manager Yogi Breisner noting in 2005, "Being with Mike really helps Zara because he is a dedicated sportsman. They inspire each other."
Mike soon met his future in-laws, the Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips and described Princess Anne as a “legend” before revealing what his welcome into the firm was really like. "My mates in Wakefield are forever asking how I fit in among the royal family but they are really down to earth," he quipped.
Mike popped the question in a low-key proposal at their home in 2010. “I was upstairs, plucking up the nerve to do it, while Zara was downstairs watching television,” he recalled. “It was all about shock value - I wanted to catch her when it was quiet, and she wasn’t expecting anything… She was completely in shock.
"Then, when she stopped laughing, she said, ‘Yes.’ That was a relief.” For her big day, the bride looked beautiful in an elegant Stewart Parvin gown and the Meander Tiara, which previously belonged to Prince Philip’s mother, Princess Alice of Greece and Denmark.
Shortly after her nuptials, Zara clinched a silver medal for British Eventing in the London 2012 Olympics. More joy quickly followed as the couple welcomed their first daughter, Mia Grace, in January 2014.
Sadly the couple suffered a miscarriage in 2016. Speaking about the tragedy afterwards, Zara said, "When things like that happen, normally it's just your family and friends,” pointing out how, “the hardest thing in our situation is that everyone knew."
Luck was soon on their side again with the birth of a second daughter Lena Elizabeth in 2018. The couple’s only son, Lucas Philip, completed the family in 2021, much to Mike’s joy as he made no secret of his hopes to have a son.
Speaking on his The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast before Lucas’s birth, Mike joked, “I’d like a boy this time, I’ve got two girls, I would like a boy. I’ll love it whether a boy or a girl, but please be a boy.”
