Prince William may come first in the line of royal succession, however he isn’t the only royal planning a wedding these days. Zara Phillips, often called the Queen’s favorite granddaughter, has apparently been quietly making plans to exchange wedding rings with her longtime boyfriend, British Rugby player Mike Tindall.
The couple, who have been together for seven years, announced their engagement on December 21, just a little over a month after her cousin, Prince William announced his engagement to Kate Middleton. Phillips has since been professionally photographed wearing the Round cut diamond and split shank platinum engagement ring given to her by Tindall, although the couple has been said to have turned down a $1 million magazine deal to photograph their wedding.
And while royal protocol decrees that William gets to walk down the aisle first, rumor has it that Phillips and Tindall are looking to marry on July 30th in Scotland, despite a spokesperson for Phillips’s insistence that no plans have been finalized yet.
However, Robert Harrison a managing director of a car dealership in Peebles and father of the bride Cherith Harrison seems to think otherwise. Harrison and her fiancé Gregg Walters have recently been asked to move the date of their July 30th wedding at Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, according to her father, who said they were happy to accommodate the young royal.
Canongate Kirk is the Parish church for the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland, which would likely be location of the wedding reception. Although Phillips is not a titled Princess, she is the daughter of Princess Anne and Granddaughter of the Queen of England, a family which has always been very proud of their ties to Scotland.
Reverend of the church, Neil Gardner, was unable to comment when questioned by reporters, but believes an announcement will be made soon.