Zara Phillips was named BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2006 The Queen’s eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips has got engaged to her long-term boyfriend, the England rugby union player Mike Tindall.
A Buckingham Palace spokeswoman said Mr Tindall, 32, had proposed to Ms Phillips, 29, on Monday night at the couple’s Gloucestershire home.
The Queen and Duke of Edinburgh are said to be “delighted” by the news.
The news comes just weeks after the announcement that Prince William and Kate Middleton are to marry in 2011.
Ms Phillips, who is 12th in line to the throne, and Mr Tindall met during England’s Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003.
He also plays for premiership side Gloucester and was named club captain for the 2010/11 season in August.
She has achieved sporting success in her own right, winning individual gold at the World Equestrian Games in Germany in 2006.
The title helped her become BBC Sports Personality of the Year later that year, following in the footsteps of her mother, Princess Anne, who won the award in 1971.
The couple have yet to set a date for their wedding, but are unlikely to pick one too close to 29 April, which has been chosen by William and Kate.
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