The 1 royal not afraid to tell Prince William when he’s being ‘pompous’ – ‘he takes it’
Despite being heir to the throne, William is often given a sharp reality check by one family member.
Despite being heir to the throne, William is often given a sharp reality check by one family member (Image: Getty)
Prince William might be the heir to the throne, but there is one senior member of the Royal Family who has no issue putting him firmly back in his place. Despite outranking almost everyone, the Prince of Wales, 44, is frequently given a sharp reality check by none other than his cousin, Zara Tindall.
According to royal author Robert Jobson, the down-to-earth equestrian is never afraid to pull William up when his ego gets a bit too big – and the future King simply takes it on the chin. Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Jobson revealed that Zara “can tell the heir to the throne he is being pompous” – and she certainly doesn’t hold back. “He [William] just takes it,” the expert added.
Zara ‘has no angle’ when keeping Prince William grounded (Image: Getty)
Born just 13 months apart, William and Zara shared an incredibly close childhood away from the public gaze. The royal cousins bonded over shared summers at Balmoral, Christmases at Sandringham and rainy afternoons left to their own devices while the adults were busy.
Mr Jobson noted that Zara “has no angle” when keeping the future Monarch grounded.
“She knew him before he was a headline,” the expert said, adding that Zara was uniquely positioned during the tragic aftermath of his mother’s death in 1997, “watching a boy she had grown up with become public property inside a week. Very few people alive can say that.”
It wasn’t just William who received the grounded Zara treatment, either. Mr Jobson noted that Zara offered the same down-to-earth reception when Catherine entered the fold. He claimed that Zara “did the same for Catherine, who married in from outside the tent and found waiting there a woman who had spent her whole life declining to be impressed by the tent.”
Born just 13 months apart, William and Zara shared an incredibly close childhood (Image: Getty)
The deep-rooted bond between the pair has sparked plenty of royal chaos over the years. Prince William previously confessed to a childhood blunder at Balmoral involving Zara, a go-kart and a very angry Queen Elizabeth II.
Speaking on the Our Queen at Ninety documentary, William recalled: “We were chasing Zara around, who was on a go-kart, and Peter [Phillips] and I managed to herd Zara into a lamppost. And the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her!
“I remember my grandmother being the first person out at Balmoral running across the lawn in her kilt… she came charging over and gave us the most almighty b*******.”
Zara is Prince George’s godmother – the only royal to hold the title for his children (Image: Getty)
Today, the pair remain as tight-knit as ever, frequently seen laughing, hugging and sharing jokes at high-profile events including Royal Ascot. Demonstrating his utter trust in her, Prince William even chose Zara to be Prince George’s godmother – the only member of the Royal Family to hold the title for his children.
Royal expert Ingrid Seward previously told Hello! magazine that Zara acts as the “sister William never had,” offering a unique perspective because she holds no official royal title. Her mother, Princess Anne, intentionally declined HRH titles for her children to give them a chance at a normal life outside the official duties of working royals.
“She has the best of both worlds,” she said. “She understands what royal life is like, but she can live her life as she chooses, without the pressure faced by more senior royals.”
SOURCE: EXPRESS