Mike Tindall has insisted he would turn down the possibility of becoming a prince in the Royal Family if it were offered to him. The former rugby player, who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara, said: "I would definitely turn that down."

Speaking to Closer UK, Mike expressed his delight that he does not currently have a royal title. Neither Zara nor her brother Peter Phillips have royal titles due to a centuries old rule that states only the father may pass down his royal title.

As Zara and Peter’s father, Captain Mark Phillips, was not a member of the Royal Family, they could not become prince or princess at birth. However, it wasn’t just a case of tradition stopping Zara or Peter from having titles. As they grew up Princess Anne then had the opportunity to give them titles, something she chose not to do for their benefit.

Zara told Vanity Fair in 2020: “I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles… So I think that was probably the right thing to do.”

It is this lack of title that Zara has admitted she is thankful for, speaking to The Total Sport Podcast she said: “From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn't give us any titles so I really commend her on that.

“We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way. My family has a great work ethic as well which I'm hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day.”

It is this lack of titles that has helped Zara, and subsequently Mike, potentially seem more relatable and less aloof than some the other members of the Royal Family.

This hasn’t stopped them from becoming good pals with their fellow royals with Mike developing a strong rapport with future king Prince William.

According to a source, Mike Tindall has become like a brother to Prince William following the fracture in his relationship with sibling Prince Harry began over five years ago. The insider told Woman’s Day: "There's no doubt Wills sees him as the brother he lost. He's proven how loyal he is and Wills knows Mike has his back. He's so grateful to have him by his side.”

Mike has also reportedly developed a good relationship with Prince William’s son Prince George and slotted into the role of ‘uncle’, reports CambridgeLive.

Body language expert Darren Stanton explained to Hello!: “[Mike is] demonstrating he has very much a hands-on sort of relationship here. It's clear that Mike isn't averse to getting stuck in thanks to years of playing physical sports.

"It's in Mike's nature to be hands-on and while it's clear from George's reaction here that he's trying to play it cool, you can see he and his 'uncle' have a very fun dynamic between them.”