Zara Tindall might not have a title, but the Prince and Princess of Wales once granted her a role that could have a huge impact on the monarchy's future. In 2013 the Prince and Princess of Wales made her one of Prince George's godmothers and she's the only Royal Family member to be a godparent to any of their children.
This highlights their trust in Zara and expert Robert Jobson believes her grounding influence on 13-year-old George is key. Speaking recently to the Daily Mail, he explained, "In the autumn he goes up to Eton. The apparatus that makes a king is already built around him. The school. The staff. The gaze tightening by degrees until one day he notices it, and it is too late to mind."
"All of that will make a king. None of it decides what sort," he added. "For that, look at the two people in his life who hold no rank at all, Zara and Mike Tindall."
Robert has noticed that when Zara is with George "there is no deference" towards him, despite him being second in the royal line of succession. Instead, he thinks she "teases him" and the teenager is "easy with her the way children are easy with adults who want nothing from them".
Although retired rugby star Mike isn't a godparent to George like his wife, he also behaves very normally around him and Robert believes he talks to the youngster "about losing". According to the royal author, this is "the one subject nobody else raises, because everybody else is invested in the boy winning."
"Prince George is destined to be king. Whether he arrives knowing the difference between being important and being useful is not," Robert later stated. "Two people close can undoubtedly help him. They have no titles between them... That is exactly why they can."
Zara has never been a working royal but she was raised in the public eye as Queen Elizabeth's granddaughter, so she has a unique perspective she can share with Prince George. According to woman&home's Royal Correspondent Emily Andrews, the Tindalls have "perfected" the royal "balancing act".
"They attend major state events, honour the monarchy, and maintain close bonds with the likes of William and Kate," she wrote. "All while raising thousands for charity (such as Parkinson's UK, with which Mike's father was diagnosed in 2003), paying their own way and keeping their feet on the ground."
With Prince George now a teenager and preparing to head off to boarding school, this is a formative time for him and Zara and Mike's influence might help shape him more than we ever realised. The Tindalls are also close to Charlotte and Louis and at Christmas and Easter we get to see their children all together too.
It's clear the bond has been passed down to the next generation and these close family ties could be an extra source of support for Prince George when he takes on more responsibilities in the future.
