As Zara Tindall and her husband Mike celebrated 13 wonderful years of marriage this week, one royal butler has hinted that the couple could be the ‘way forward for royals’ with their down to earth behaviour

As Zara Tindall and her husband former rugby ace Mike marked their 13th wedding anniversary this week, one former royal butler has weighed in on the couple’s relationship – while hinting that they could be exactly what the royal family needs going forwards.

In a recent interview conducted on behalf of Slingo, Paul Burrell said Mike has done “incredibly well” to step over the line in the royal world, yet crucially he had been able to “keep one foot in the real world’, something which hasn’t always been easy for commoners marrying into the royal family.

Revealing how Zara had always been destined to fall for someone with a penchant for “realness” and a down to earth persona, Paul went on to explain: “ Mike Tindall has done incredibly well to step over that line into a royal world and yet keep one foot in the real world.

“He must have a very balanced mind to cope with both entities because as we know, those incoming into the family have suffered in the past, and they’ve not always done well. But Mike, coming from a sports background, has done incredibly well, he must just be a very nice guy.