Zara and Mike Tindall make surprise appearance in Sydney for the State of Origin as they cheer Maroons to victory

Sky News AU

10-07-2025

Zara and Mike Tindall have delighted Aussie royal-watchers with a surprise appearance at the State of Origin decider in Sydney - choosing the footy over the Royal box at Wimbledon.
The down-to-earth royal couple were spotted in the stands at Accor Stadium on Wednesday night, sitting beside Nicole Slater, wife of Queensland Maroons coach Billy Slater, as they passionately cheered the Maroons to a 24–12 victory over the NSW Blues.
Both dressed in Maroons merch, leaving no doubt about where their loyalties lay.
Zara, 44, the daughter of Princess Anne, and Mike, 46, a former England rugby union captain and World Cup winner, share a longstanding friendship with the Slaters through their involvement with the Magic Millions racing carnival on the Gold Coast.
Zara, an accomplished Olympic equestrian, has been an ambassador for the prestigious thoroughbred run by Harvey Norman owners Gerry Harvey and his wife Katie Page event since 2012.
Meanwhile, Billy and Nicole Slater, childhood sweethearts who met at pony club in Queensland, operate their own breeding business, Slater Thoroughbreds.
Interestingly, before his decorated NRL career, Billy Slater worked as a trackwork rider for trainer Gai Waterhouse.
The Tindalls and Slaters spent plenty of time together at this year's Magic Millions, where Mike even showed off his pipes in a surprise musical performance.
Donning a black velvet suit, he joined Nicole, who is also an equine artist, on stage for a duet of Shallow from A Star Is Born.
Mike, who co-hosts the podcast The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, will continue travelling across Australia over the coming weeks with co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne.
On Wednesday, he told fans via Instagram that the trio will appear at Harvey Norman Macgregor in Brisbane on July 17 for a live show, and later head to Melbourne for the Lions clash at the MCG on July 26.
It's unclear whether the Tindalls' three children, Mia, 10, Lena, six, and Lucas, three, have joined them on the trip.
However, the family's love of Australia is well-documented, with Zara previously describing the country as "very relaxed" with "incredible" weather.
"We love the lifestyle and the weather obviously is incredible. It's just very relaxed. We've got a lot of friends out there," she told The Australian Financial Review earlier this year.
Despite longstanding speculation the couple may relocate to Australia, Mike has shut down the rumours.
"Everyone keeps telling us we're moving there but we're not," he told Hello!.
"It's so far away, especially when you have a big family."
Born sixth in line to the throne, Zara now sits 21st in the royal line of succession, just behind the children of her older brother Peter Phillips.
Neither Zara nor Peter hold royal titles or undertake official duties on behalf of the Crown.
Mike, who married Zara in 2011, has spoken openly about his transition into royal life, describing it as "easier than it could have been."
"Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal Family was pretty easy for me," he wrote in his memoir, The Good, The Bad, and The Rugby: Unleashed, released in October.
In one passage, widely interpreted as a subtle swipe at Meghan Markle, he added: "They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really."