Queen Elizabeth II’s eldest granddaughter Zara Phillips marries England rugby star Mike Tindall on Saturday, in a low-key event far removed from the spectacle of this year’s other British royal wedding. The couple, both world-beating sports stars, tie the knot at Edinburgh’s Canongate Kirk in a private ceremony mid-afternoon that has little in common with that of Phillips’ cousin, Prince William, when he married the former Kate Middleton three months ago.
All the senior royals, including William and Catherine, are expected but the kirk holds only 400 people — compared with the 1,900 who filled Westminster Abbey for the April 29 service, which was watched by two billion viewers worldwide. The reception will be held at the nearby Palace of Holyroodhouse, the queen’s official residence in Scotland, although the party started early with a drinks reception on Friday night on the Royal Yacht Britannia.
