The pair met in Australia in 2003 whilst Zara was on a gap year and Tindall was playing in the Rugby World Cup.

Zara Tindall And Family Attend New Year's Day Racing Meet At Cheltenham Racecourse
The pair have been married since 2011 (Image: Getty)

Mike Tindall has revealed the hilarious sliding doors moment that led to him meeting Zara. Former Rugby World Cup winner Tindall was speaking at an event for Off the Ball Rugby, told how freak injuries to team mates during their victorious 2003 campaign set the scene for him to meet his future wife.

Recalling how injuries to two players meant that England international Austin Healey was flown out to Australia to play in the forthcoming semi-final. However, a miraculous recovery for the two players whilst Healey was on the plane Down Under meant that his services were no longer required. Tindall said: “So he lands on the Wednesday and World Cup rules have weird rules so if you are not officially part of the squad, you are not allowed to stay within a one and a half mile radius of the hotel.

F1 Grand Prix of Bahrain - Final Practice

The pair have become a popular royal couple (Image: Getty)

“So he is literally in a hotel by himself and me and Cozza took pity and decided to go and meet him for a beer.

“But it turns out that when I was in the Sydney Wharf Bar Hotel, that is where I met Zara for the first time.

“So it was the best f***ing decision of Clive Woodward’s (England team manager) life and that is why you now call him Sir Clive Woodward.”

Mike and Zara tied the knot in 2011 and have since welcomed three children together – Mia, Lena and Lucas.

He added: “Ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start.”

Speaking previously about the pair’s meeting, Tindall recalled: “She was on her gap year and in Australia with friends, Clive had just told me I was dropped for the semi-final, so I went out for a beer with two others who weren’t playing.

“Zara was in the same bar; we got introduced but didn’t speak that much. Later on, Austin gave me her number and said, ‘she wants you to text her, to say where you’re all going out after the final so she can come along’.”

Speaking while he was a contestant on I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, Tindall told campmates how the pair had several things in common despite being born into different worlds.

Reflecting on how they met, Tindall recalled how the couple hit it off and went for “lunch locally” for their first real date.