Secret to Zara and Mike Tindall’s success has nothing to do with Royal Family, says expert

Zara and Mike Tindall’s key to success has got nothing to do with their links to the Royal Family, a former royal aide has claimed.

The Tindalls are thought to be worth a staggering £30million through a series of sporting accolades, endorsement deals, and TV appearances.

Zara, an equestrian star and former Olympian, is believed to have accumulated an estimated £15million through her ventures.

Meanwhile, Mike, a rugby union legend has also been cashing in over the past few years by starring in adverts for well-known brands like Domino’s, to his appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here and the recent launch of his own gin, Blackeye London Dry Gin.

Now, royal insiders claimed that even though the Tindalls may not be able to completely separate themselves from the Royal Family, they’ll always make sure to stay away from the public purse, which is one of the reasons they’ve faced such a big success til now.

A former royal aide told i news: “There has to be an element of realism about this. It is hardly somebody’s fault if their mother or father is a close relative to the monarch and that attracts interest.”

They added: “The point I would make about [Zara Tindall] is that she is a successful woman on her own terms and without that she would have attracted none of these arrangements. The same goes for Mike Tindall.

“My sense would be that they give at least as much back to the Royal Family in terms of profile and approachability as they take away from it.”

Zara and her brother Peter Phillips were not automatically given HRH titles upon their birth because their father, Captain Mark Phillips, was not a prince. According to the rules, only the children and grandchildren of the monarch’s sons and the children of the eldest son of the Prince of Wales can automatically inherit HRH titles.

The late Queen did offer courtesy titles to both Zara and Peter. However, their parents rejected them.

In 2015, Zara told The Times of her parents’ decision: “I’m very lucky that both my parents decided not to use the title and we grew up and did all the things that gave us the opportunity to do.”