The other royal wedding takes it down a notch

The rear of Cannongate Kirk in the Royal Mile in Edinburgh. (Reuters photo)

There's no way for Zara Phillips to compete with her cousin William when it comes to weddings, so it comes as little surprise that the Queen's eldest granddaughter is planning an affair slightly less grandiose.

For starters, her marriage to rugby player Mike Tindall will be held on July 30, when most of the UK is on holiday anyway.

Second, Tindall, 32, and Phillips, 29 (right), won't be tying the knot in monarch-mad London. Instead, it will be in Edinburgh, which is a choice that has its own history. Princess Anne, Zara's mother, was the last Royal to be married in Scotland, in 1992.

Third, the service will be conducted in Canongate Kirk, a nice but modest church that is only about 320 years old. Westminster Abbey, you'll recall from your history, was founded in 960 A.D. Turns out there was also conflicting wedding dates with another couple, who obliged when asked to move to another venue.

The reception is set for the Palace of Holyroodhouse (below), where the Queen usually spends one week a year.

Fourth, as the BBC notes in its report, this is pretty much enemy territory for Tindall. He's the captain of England's rugby team while his future mother-in-law is a huge Scottish team fan and the official patron of the Scottish Rugby Union. Not to mention that the Princess Royal has reportedly asked her future son-in-law to straighten his habitually-broken nose.

All this is not to suggest disaster. In fact, after getting drunk on the pomp and ceremony of Kate and Wills, the U.K. will not be likely in the mood for another big royal splash. Besides, neither       member of this union needs the publicity. Phillips, 29, is a champion equestrian rider, and Tindall gets more exposure than he'd like as captain of England's side, broken nose and all.

 

 

 

Comments

[Karen Craven]

This isn't another royal wedding as Zara Philips is not royal. Her mother, of course is Princess Anne, but she declined titles for her children when they born.