Two royal unions on the horizon as Philips to wed
Setting up the prospect of two British royal weddings in 2011, the announcement comes a month after her cousin Prince William, the second in line to the British throne, revealed his engagement to university sweetheart Kate Middleton.
Phillips, 29, the daughter of the queen’s only daughter, Princess Anne, is an eventing world champion and 12th in line to the throne.
Tindall, 32, who played in England’s 2003 World Cup-winning team, proposed on Monday at their home in Gloucestershire, southwest England.
They couple have been together for seven years and have largely kept their relationship out of the spotlight. They have not yet set a date but it seems likely they will tie the knot next year.
While William and his fiancee are to wed at Westminster Abbey on April 29, Phillips’ wedding will be a more low-key event, possibly at St George’s Chapel in London.
Bookmakers Paddy Power offered 500-1 on the royals making it a double royal wedding on April 29.
Phillips has followed in her mother’s footsteps in becoming an equestrian champion — Anne won gold at the 1971 European eventing championship — and has carved out her own life away from palace pressures.
Anne decided her two children would not bear royal titles and they do not carry out royal duties. The press dubbed Phillips a “royal rebel” after she had her tongue pierced as a teenager.
She was the three-day event European champion in 2005 and won the world championships in 2006, but pulled out of the Beijing Olympics due to an injury to her horse Toytown — the same fate which befell her at the 2004 Olympics.
Phillips, who hopes to compete at the 2012 London Olympics, previously had a three-year relationship with jockey Richard Johnson.
Reports said she met Tindall on the night England won the rugby World Cup in Australia.
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