Zara Phillips ties the knot today with strapping rugby hero Mike Tindall – and it’s already clear who wears the trousers.
The Queen’s 30-year-old granddaughter banned 6ft 2in Mike from training in case he suffered a shiner and ruined the wedding snaps.
So it’s a pity best man Iain Balshaw was still sporting a sore-looking shiner from a recent moped accident in France during yesterday’s wedding rehearsal at 17th century Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh.
England captain Lewis Moody revealed Zara’s training ban at a charity event in aid of HopeHiv on Thursday. At the fundraiser, called An Evening with Lewis, Simon, Jamie and Ben, Lewis said: “Mike didn’t play today – he’s afraid he’s going to get a black eye for the wedding. The missus is in charge.”
He added: “There’ll be loads of us going to the wedding. ”
Players from England and Gloucester Rugby Club will be mingling with royal guests, including Prince William and Kate, Prince Harry and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.
Then it’s all back to the Queen’s Holyroodhouse for a party. But for the bride-to-be, the celebrations started three days ago. Zara, who will wear a stunning Stewart Parvin ivory dress, was spotted clubbing at Edinburgh’s swanky Tigerlily hotel and later in its Lulu bar, on Thursday.
This wedding won't be a lavish feast for royal watchers, however. "It's a private family wedding," said a Buckingham Palace spokeswoman. "We're not giving out any details."
That said, here are some details. They'll say their vows at Canongate Kirk, the parish church of Edinburgh Castle, with a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the queen's official residence in Scotland. Phillips and Tindall, as well as Princess Anne, were photographed Friday leaving the church after their rehearsal. Zara had also been spotted earlier in the week getting a rare-for-her spa treatment, and some business-as-usual exercise.
That's a bit different than the wedding seen round the world in April -- that of Prince Charles' son Prince William to Kate Middleton, now Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge. Being closer to the front of the line for the throne does have its implications, among them a million people hanging around in the streets for your big day.
Phillips, 30, the daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips, has long been considered one of the most down-to-earth members of the royal family. The successful equestrian has no royal title. Tindall, 32, plays rugby.
According to the Daily Mail, guests are expected to include Queen Elizabeth II and most of the royal family -- the Tindall family hasn't yet met the queen -- and many sports figures, including a former England rugby player as best man.
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