Cousins connect: Zara Tindall remains Prince Harry's closest ally in the royal family
LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM: For Prince Harry, allies in the Royal Family are far and few. Nevertheless, his cousin, Zara Tindall has stood by his side (quite literally) in all royal events following the infamous 'Megxit'. The cousins share a close relationship and were also spotted being driven back in the same car after the 15-minute vigil for the Queen at Westminster on September 17.
Notably, the two brothers, Harry and William, did not share a car ride together. While Harry, 38, left the Queen's vigil with cousin Zara, 41, William shared a car with Zara's brother, Peter Phillips, 44. As per an article by the Daily Mail, both Peter and Zara have served the role of "peacemaker" between the two brothers on earlier occasions, with William having asked his cousin to stand between the pair during Prince Philip's funeral procession in April 2021.
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Notably, both Harry and William spent a lot of their childhood with Zara and Peter. They are all close in age and the two princes were raised in Gloucestershire, merely a few miles from their cousin's childhood home. Over the years, all four were frequently spotted with one another, chatting and amusing themselves during their royal engagements. On one occasion, according to the source, the Prince of Wales also admitted that it was "hard to keep a straight face" while sitting with his cousins at church.
The Duke of Sussex has maintained a close relationship with Princess Anne's daughter, Zara as well as her husband, Mike Tindall. He is also the godfather of the couple's youngest daughter, Lena. In fact, it is also believed that Harry played matchmaker between the duo. According to the Daily Mail, he introduced Zara to Mike after the former rugby player had been "drowning his sorrows" at a bar in Sydney after being cut from the world cup squad.
The source also reports that Mike revealed the family often communicates via groups on WhatsApp. He said, "Me, my brother and then a few of Zara's side like her brother Pete [Phillips] and the cousins are on WhatsApp groups, adding, "I wouldn't say we're cutting edge, but it's just easier for some reason on WhatsApp." On another occasion, the former rugby player also mentioned, "It's just what you do to try and set up get-togethers and we are going to something that is the same. If you are going to go, [we discuss things like] "Are you going to take the kids?" Quite a lot of people have family WhatsApp groups."
Harry's easy-going relationship with the Tindalls is rather evident. After the Duke announced his engagement to Meghan Markle, Mike cheekily offered to be his best man in a short text: "I've written my speech, I'm ready." To this, Harry quipped, "Sorry mate that job's full but I do need someone to show people where to park their cars." Prince William had stood as the best man at his brother's wedding.