Mike Tindall: who is rugby husband of Zara Tindall, why does he wear medals, did he serve in the military?

Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral is days away after her coffin was brought to Westminster Hall to lie in state for four days.

Many of the late 96-year-old monarch’s children and grandchildren attended the procession including Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

Another couple seen leaving Westminster Hall was Queen Elizabeth’s eldest granddaughter Zara Tindall with her husband Mike Tindall.

Here is all you need to know about the former rugby player:

Who is Mike Tindall?

Michael James Tindall MBE was born on 18 October 1978 in Otley, West Yorkshire to Phil and Linda Tindall.

He was educated at the private school Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield before joining the Bath rugby team straight from school in 1997.

The 43-year-old is an English former rugby player who won 75 caps for the country between 2000 and 2011, and is a celebrity ambassador for a number of sporting organisations such as Rugby for Heroes.

The outside centre player made his debut against Ireland in the 2000 Six Nations Championship and went on to play eleven more championships.

Low points of Tindall’s career and life include his two convictions for drink driving and breaking his nose at least eight times during his sporting career.

Who is he married to?

Mike Tindall first met Queen Elizabeth’s eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips in 2003 at the Rugby World Cup in Australia.

Zara Tindall is the daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Captain Mark Phillips, and is a keen horse rider.

Buckingham Palace announced the engagement between the rugby player and the “love of his life” in December 2010.

As required, the Queen gave her consent to the marriage six months later in May 2011, before the wedding took place in Edinburgh in July with 400 guests in attendance.

Although the couple have three children - eight-year-old Mia, Lena, 4, and Lucas, 1, but have sadly suffered several miscarriages in their long marriage.

Did he serve in the military - what medals did he wear?

Mike Tindall was seen at Westminster Hall this week as the Queen’s coffin was brought from Buckingham Palace to lie in state for four days.

He was seen comforting Zara by holding her hand as they left the building.

People began to question whether Mike had served in the military after the former rugby player was seen wearing medals.

Although he has not served in the military, Mike has obtained medals for when he was made a Member of the British Empire in 2007 for his contribution to rugby as well as wearing medals for the Queen’s Diamond and Platinum Jubilees respectively.

What did Mike say about Queen Elizabeth?

Like many others of the Royal Family’s partners, Mike Tindall can be expected to attend Her Majesty’s state funeral on Monday 19 September.

Speaking to the Telegraph in 2021, Mike told them how the Royal Family welcomed him in and how “amazing” the Queen was.

He said: “I can only say how kind they’ve been to me, and how welcoming they’ve been to me since joining the family. And how they’ve made my family welcome.

“I’ve always felt part of it and I think that’s down to what an amazing woman the Queen is. They’re a fantastic family.”