Zara Tindall shares a close friendship with her cousin-in-law, the Duchess of Cambridge, with the royals both marrying in the same year and having children of a similar age.
Back in 2011, ahead of her nuptials to rugby player Mike Tindall, Zara shared a revealing insight into the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh's thoughts about Kate.
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"I know my grandmother and grandfather are very fond of her," Zara told The Sunday People. "They thought she was just right for William.
"My grandmother liked Kate as soon as they met. They both adore her."
© Photo: Getty ImagesWilliam and Kate married three months before Zara and Mike in 2011
Speaking about Prince William and Kate's royal wedding at Westminster Abbey in April 2011, Zara added at the time: "I'm very proud of my family and the British public. It was an amazing day and everyone really got behind them.
"It was great to see, I just hope it carries on. We all think Kate's perfect for William.
"Kate is lovely and I'm sure she'll handle everything just fine. William and Harry will always be there to help so she has nothing to worry about."
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Zara married Mike at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh on 30 July, with a reception taking place at the Palace of Holyroodhouse.
They welcomed their first child, Mia, in January 2014, followed by second daughter, Lena, in June 2018 and son, Lucas, last March.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe Cambridges have enjoyed family outings with the Tindalls
The Cambridges' children are close in age to the Tindalls', with eight-year-old Prince George, six-year-old Princess Charlotte and three-year-old Prince Louis. The families have enjoyed outings in the past and Mike recently spoke about the family WhatsApp group that they use to keep in touch with one another.
Speaking about Kate's rugby prowess on his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, Mike said: "I text Ellis [Genge] and said, 'Mate, please tell me anything she messed up on' so I could sort of… family WhatsApp group, get to her, and he said, 'No she was actually pretty good, and she was really good at kicking,' and I was like [sighs]. But she has this competitive nature."
He added: "Just imagine, anyone who's ever tried it, getting thrown up in the line-out if you've never done it before is not easy because normally, you'll kick the prop in either the nuts or the face as he's lifting you and she just looked effortless."
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