Queen's granddaughter gets engaged to Gloucester Rugby skipper Mike Tindall

The Queen’s granddaughter Zara Phillips said today she was left “shocked” but “very happy” when her long-term boyfriend and England rugby player Mike Tindall proposed.

Tindall popped the question to his 29-year-old partner last night at their Gloucestershire home and said he was “delighted” she had agreed to marry him.

The couple met in a Sydney bar during the 2003 Rugby World Cup through Zara’s cousin Prince Harry.

Their friendship blossomed into a romance and Tindall, 32, has claimed that it was his “pure charm” that won the royal’s heart.

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In a short statement issued by a sports marketing company that represents the couple, Zara said: “I was really shocked when Mike proposed but I am very happy.”

Tindall was also ecstatic about their news and said: “I am delighted that Zara has agreed to marry me. We are both very excited about the next stage of our lives together.”

A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said: "The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh are delighted with the news.

“They got engaged yesterday evening at the couple’s home in Gloucestershire and a date has yet to be set.”

A Clarence House spokeswoman issued a statement on behalf of the Prince of Wales, Zara’s uncle, the Duchess of Cornwall, Prince William and Prince Harry.

She said: “Their royal highnesses are delighted with the news and look forward to conveying their best wishes to the couple.”

The Queen’s granddaughter is a professional horserider and one of Britain’s top equestrians who is also a former world three-day eventing champion.

Like her mother, who was also a member of Britain’s equestrian team, Zara was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006 by the British public.

Her husband-to-be, who plays for club side Gloucester, has been capped 66 times by his country and was part of the England team that won the 2003 Rugby World Cup.

The news that Zara is to wed her boyfriend comes soon after the engagement of Prince William and Kate Middleton last month.

The couple have not yet set a date but it seems likely they will tie the knot in 2011 – setting up the prospect of two royal weddings next year.

In August 2009, Tindall admitted it was not about whether they would wed, but when.

He told Hello! magazine that there was “no doubt” he loved Zara and that he would like to have children.

But he said the time had to be right for them to walk down the aisle.

Tindall revealed: “I don’t think it is about whether we will get married but when.”

He added: “Yes, it probably would be a white wedding – although sometimes I can see the attraction of sneaking away without telling anyone.”

The couple could opt for St George’s Chapel at Windsor Castle for their wedding - the venue chosen by Zara’s brother Peter when he married his wife Autumn in 2008.

And they are likely to pick a date far removed from William and Kate’s wedding day, April 29.

A Buckingham Palace statement said: “The Princess Royal and Captain Mark Phillips are pleased to announce the engagement of their daughter Zara Phillips to Mr Mike Tindall, son of Mr Phillip and Mrs Linda Tindall.”

FEATURE:

He is the hulking rugby star once described as “pug-nosed”, she is the Princess Royal’s feisty daughter.

The affair between Mike Tindall and Zara Phillips – 12th in line to the throne - always looked like ending in marriage.

The pair – both former world champions in their respective sports – fell for each other after meeting in a Sydney bar during the 2003 Rugby World Cup through Zara’s cousin Prince Harry.

Tindall, 32, who plays centre for Gloucester, was reported to have been the only single man in the winning England squad – but not for long after encountering leading horserider Zara, 29.

The sporting couple initially denied they were in a relationship, but it gradually became clear they were romantically involved when they were spotted hand in hand.

The Queen’s granddaughter and one-time royal rebel Zara has talked openly of the importance of her relationship with Tindall.

“He met me just after I’d found out my horse had injured himself, so I was quite low and vulnerable,” she said previously.

“No, he understands the pressures, and vice versa, which obviously helps, but it actually started from becoming very good friends.”

Tindall admitted he was nervous being introduced to Zara’s famous relatives, revealing: “But Zara’s mum is a legend and her father is lovely too.

“My mates up in Wakefield are forever asking how on earth I fit in among the Royal Family, but they are really down to earth.”

He claimed that it was his “pure charm” that had won Zara’s heart and they were “best mates”.

They moved in together, sharing The Bothy on Anne’s Gatcombe Park estate which was a gift from the Princess Royal, but in April 2009 bought their own £800,000 regency townhouse in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

In August 2009, Tindall admitted it was not about whether they would wed, but when.

He told Hello! magazine that there was “no doubt” he loved Zara and that he would like to have children.

But he said the time had to be right for them to walk down the aisle.

Tindall revealed: “I don’t think it is about whether we will get married but when.”

He added: “Yes, it probably would be a white wedding – although sometimes I can see the attraction of sneaking away without telling anyone.”

In laid back Yorkshire-born Tindall, Zara has chosen a commoner and a sportsman as a companion, rather than seeking out a husband from blue blood stock.

It is a direction similar to the one Anne took in marrying her first husband, Zara’s horseriding father Captain Mark Phillips,

Headstrong Zara, Anne and Phillips’ second child, had her tongue pierced as a teenager.

She cultivated a reputation as a gregarious royal “ladette” in the past and was once spotted drinking beer out of a bottle in a pub.

She is known for being one of the most fashion-conscious royals.

Short skirts and knee-high boots go with Zara, who was the first in the family to have her own stylist.

Her penchant for the latest trends is something that never seems to have bothered her mother, who has sported the same hairstyle for many years and is not averse to digging out decade-old clothes for another outing.

One year, Zara turned up at Ascot wearing a one-shouldered Gharani Strok dress decorated with a pattern of large burnt orange and white flowers and split to the hip.

She said later of the head-turning outfit: “I knew I was going to get attention, but I didn’t think it would get quite so much attention. It was cool.”

Zara, whose name has appeared in FHM’s list of 100 Sexiest Women in the World, had her own personal stylist at the time, Ceril Campbell.

Another year, she changed into a silk dress in a public loo in the car park opposite the Ascot course.

She is not an HRH but instead a plain “Miss”, a decision taken at the insistence of Anne, and her unusual name is Greek in origin and means “bright as the dawn”.

Her on-off previous relationship with leading jump jockey Richard Johnson was often a stormy affair but there were no such dramas between Zara and Tindall.

The pair can often be seen giggling and laughing together as they enjoy outings to the races.

Zara’s passion for horseriding has seen her triumph in the sporting world, following her parents into the equestrian arena.

In September 2005, she won two gold medals at the European Eventing Championships, winning the individual title as Britain clinched a sixth consecutive team win.

She went on to win the individual gold medal at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Germany.

It made her only the third rider to hold both World and European championships titles consecutively.

Her success at three-day eventing led to an MBE – which made her the first senior royal to receive an award in the Honours List.

She dreamed of competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympics after missing out in 2004, but her hopes were dashed when her horse was injured shortly before the Games and she was forced to withdraw. She has now set her sights on 2012.

Like her mother, Zara was crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006 by the British public.

Possessing something of her no-nonsense mother’s fiery streak, she admitted once: “I suppose I’m quite feisty. I’m not all that good at being told what to do.”

Tindall, 30, was born in Otley in 1978 to mother Linda and father Phil. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield.

He represented Yorkshire Schools and played for the same England 18 Group side as Jonny Wilkinson.

He became a Bath player in 1997 and joined Gloucester in 2005. Rugby skills run in the family. His father Phil captained Otley, but a knee injury halted his career.

Tindall helped England triumph in the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, but missed the 2007 tournament after failing to recover in time from a broken right leg and then suffering a serious liver injury in a Six Nations match against Wales.

Tindall also plays golf, has a Bull Mastif called Misty and in 2005 won ITV’s All-Star Poker Challenge, donating the £25,000 prize to the Parkinson’s Disease Society.

He is said to be mild mannered, easy going, unpretentious and nicknamed The Fridge for his sheer size.

Legend has it that on the way back from the 2003 World Cup Tindall broke cricketer David Boon’s in-flight record of 52 for the number of beers consumed.