ROBERT JOBSON: The Tindalls show Harry and Meghan how it’s done: With Zara and Mike expected to become the highest royal earners, they’ve made their lives a huge success… without revealing family secrets or attacking the royal family
It’s no surprise to me that Zara and Mike Tindall are doing well in sports-mad Australia.
They are honest, funny and candid, as I saw first-hand when I interviewed Zara at her Gatcombe Park home for an Australian TV channel.
Yes, she was working – promoting Magic Millions, the paid gig she does every year Down Under – but she couldn’t have been friendlier or more professional.
Zara has always been outgoing, which is why people seem to see her as relatable just about everywhere she goes.
She has the lovable X factor.
Mike and Zara Tindall get to know life in Byron Bay, Australia
The Tindalls have impressed during their holiday in Australia
Robert interviews Zara at her home in Gatcombe Park, Gloucestershire
Zara high fives with spectators and horse lovers. She is an ambassador for the Magic Millions horse festival, where races and blood sales take place
The Tindalls have a genuine affection for Australia – and Australians love it
People warm up to Zara, just like her mother, Princess Anne, because she is hardworking and authentic.
Her achievements speak for themselves. She is a true Olympian and a member of the Team GB equestrian team.
A hulking center, Mike was at the heart of the England rugby team that won the World Cup in 2003 – in Australia, beating the Australians.
There is a ‘what you see is what is’ confidence about them as a couple.
Mike is a man who readily admits that he once split his pants while dancing with the Princess Royal, his mother-in-law.
He has the confidence and humor to tease the Prince of Wales with ‘One-pint Willy’ for his lack of drinking skills.
Mike and Zara are tactile, not afraid to show affection and smile brightly for the cameras.
Mike and Zara pose for a photo on the grid during the F1 Monaco Grand Prix
The Tindalls seem to like to be affectionate in public, such as at the Cheltenham Festival last year
‘Uncle Mike’ casually put his arm around Prince George outside Sandringham church on Christmas Day – a warmth appreciated in Australia
Zara pictured with Prince Harry and Meghan at the Platinum Jubilee celebration for the late Queen Elizabeth II in June 2022
The couple who attended day 3 of last year’s Royal Ascot
Millions of TV viewers will remember dancing carefree and happily to Lionel Richie and Take That at the Coronation concert.
Naturally, they are friendly to their hosts and regularly praise the Australian outdoor lifestyle.
So it’s no wonder the Aussies like them – or that Sydney commentator Angela Mollard wrote in MailOnline yesterday that the Tindalls’ approach could kill republicanism dead.
All this while earning their own money – without burdening taxpayers.
Perhaps this is what The Princess Royal and her then-husband Captain Mark Phillips had in mind when they decided against giving their children Zara and Peter HRH nicknames or fancy titles.
They thought the children would have an easier childhood without them. It worked.
Mike and Zara have also done well commercially and have earned millions together.
After all, they’re not just for the sun Down Under.
They are there because Zara is sponsored by thoroughbred auction house Magic Millions, which organizes a horse selling and racing festival on the Gold Coast.
Mike has his own business ventures, including a well-received podcast with fellow ex-international James Haskell, the Good, the Bad & the Rugby.
It has been suggested that Tindall’s earning potential could have even greater potential than that of Zara’s cousin Harry and wife Meghan in Montecito.
One analyst, Giles Kenningham of Trafalgar Strategy, said yesterday that the Tindalls are now the “first royal couple” when it comes to commercial deals as Harry and Meghan’s brand has been tarnished.
It would be stupid to write off the Sussexes just yet.
But we can be clear about this: Zara and Mike Tindall, unencumbered by royal titles or royal appearance, have achieved huge success everywhere they go.
And unlike the Sussexes, they have achieved this without revealing family secrets or attacking the monarchy.