Former England rugby star Mike Tindall has given his clearest indication yet about whether he wants to be a prince if the opportunity arose. Mike, who is married to Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall, was asked by Closer magazine how he would react if he was ever offered the title of prince by the Royal Family. He emphatically answered: "I would definitely turn that down," before going on to explain that he was content without having a royal title in his life. His comments about not wanting such an honour bestowed upon him are not without precedent. His wife and brother-in-law Peter Phillips were not given any royal titles at birth because of an ancient rule that mandates only the offspring's father can pass on such honours. Since their father, Captain Mark Phillips, wasn't of royal blood, becoming a prince or princess was never on the cards, reports Cambridgeshire Live. In addition, the Express once reported that although tradition played its part, titles were also not in the siblings' future because Princess Anne chose not to give them as they came of age – for their own benefit. Zara previously spoke about the downsides that came tethered to a royal title, telling Vanity Fair in 2020: "I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles... So I think that was probably the right thing to do." On The Total Sport Podcast, Zara acknowledged the freedom that the lack of a title granted. She added: "From my point of view, I was obviously very lucky that my mother didn't give us any titles so I really commend her on that." Zara credits her self-reliance to always having done things her way, noting: "We were very lucky that we got to do it a bit our own way. My family has a great work ethic as well which I'm hoping they instilled in me and is still going to this day." The Tindalls' absence of royal titles sees members of the public view them as remarkably grounded for members of the Royal Family. They maintain strong familial ties, with Mike renowned for his close connection with the Prince of Wales, signifying an even firmer bond following William's speculated fallout with his brother, Prince Harry. An inside source shared with Woman’s Day magazine sentiments about the pair's kinship, saying: "There's no doubt Wills sees him as the brother he lost. He's proven how loyal he is and Wills knows Mike has his back. He's so grateful to have him by his side." Mike's affable persona also extends to his relationship with Prince George, Prince William's eldest son. CambridgeLive also reported that Mike has embraced an "uncle" role for the young prince. Body language expert Darren Stanton, speaking to Hello! magazine, decoded the dynamics between Mike and Prince George. He concluded: "[Mike is] demonstrating he has very much a hands-on sort of relationship here. It's clear that Mike isn't averse to getting stuck in thanks to years of playing physical sports. "It's in Mike's nature to be hands-on and while it's clear from George's reaction here that he's trying to play it cool, you can see he and his 'uncle' have a very fun dynamic between them."