Zara Phillips married in low-key event

Queen Elizabeth’s granddaughter Zara Phillips married fellow athlete Mike Tindall yesterday in a private ceremony in the Scottish capital Edinburgh. Prince William and wife Kate, who tied the knot in April in a public display of royal pomp and pageantry, and the British monarch herself were among the guests in the Canongate Kirk, where the Queen worships when staying in Edinburgh. A few hundred fans waving Union Jack flags lined the street leading up to the church as guests sporting hats and kilts arrived for Britain’s second royal wedding of the year. After the ceremony, traditional Scottish bagpipe music was played as the newlyweds, the bride wearing an ivory floor-length dress and a full-length veil, emerged from the church to loud cheers from the crowd outside. Phillips, 30, was considered something of a “royal rebel” when she was younger, having her tongue pierced as a teenager. But the daughter of Princess Anne and her first husband Mark Phillips has followed in her mother’s footsteps to enjoy a successful horse-riding career. In 2006 she won an individual gold on her horse Toytown at the World Equestrian Games in Germany, helped Britain win a team silver and was voted BBC sports personality of the year. Tindall, a well-known rugby player Tindall, 32, was part of the England team that beat Australia to win the World Cup in 2003. The couple met during that tournament. Their wedding was due to be followed by a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse, the Queen’s official residence in Scotland.  Several thousand fans gathered outside the church and the palace hoping to catch a glimpse of royalty, police estimated. However, the low-key festivities took many in Edinburgh by surprise. “Who’s getting married?” asked Alberto Alvarez, 38, who has come from Spain for a holiday. “I am very happy for them anyway,” he added. The ceremony was reserved for family and friends but hundreds of well-wishers filled the Scottish capital’s famous cobbled Royal Mile to catch a glimpse of the spectacle. After the ceremony the couple emerged arm in arm, stood on the steps to the entrance to the kirk and shared a kiss much to the delight of the crowd. Zara, 30, married in a beautiful ivory silk gown by designer Stewart Parvin and shoes from Jimmy Choo. The crowd gave an enormous cheer as she arrived to reveal the ivory silk faille and silk duchess satin gown by the British and Edinburgh-trained designer. Tindall, 32, along with his best man and fellow England player Iain Balshaw - who was sporting a black eye - opted for traditional morning dress, despite speculation Tindall might don a kilt. The wedding reception is being held in the grounds of the Palace of Holyroodhouse - the official Scottish home of the Queen - which is just a few hundred metres from the kirk. The royal had talked before the wedding of how she was looking forward to becoming Mrs Tindall but she will keep her maiden name and remain Zara Phillips. The newlyweds arrived back at the palace as the Royal Scots Association pipe band played. They paused briefly outside the main doors for official photographs before going inside. They were followed shortly afterwards by the rest of the bridal party, the Queen and Prince Phillip and the Prince of Wales and Duchess of Cornwall. William and Kate, whose titles in Scotland are the Duke and Duchess of Strathearn, arrived with Prince Harry.