What Happens To Zara Tindall When William Is King?

Although she's Queen Elizabeth II's eldest granddaughter, Zara Tindall has never been a working royal herself. Despite that, some royal experts have hinted that when King Charles III passes away and Prince William becomes king, she might just take up a more active role within the firm. 

Charles' desire for a slimmed-down monarchy has been spoken about for decades at this point, but when his and Kate Middleton's dual cancer diagnoses were announced in early 2024, the cracks in that plan were just too great to ignore. In an appearance on Sky News Australia, commentator Angela Mollard pointed out that it was a problem that there were no younger royals who could help pick up the slack. With that in mind, she mused that it might not be a bad idea for Tindall to be brought into the fold. After all, she explained, the relationship between Tindall and William has always been a strong one. In addition to the cousins being close, though, there was another reason Mollard believed Tindall would be a great pick. "She would be his Princess Anne, as Princess Anne is to the king, when he becomes king," she said. 

It bears mentioning that in July 2024, there were actually murmurs that Charles felt the same way. According to Express, insiders told New Idea, "There's talk that niece Zara Tindall, 43, who is very close to her uncle ... might become more involved in this side of things, and that Charles is keen to support such an interest by bestowing her the title of princess." A bold claim, given his aforementioned enthusiasm for a slimmed-down monarchy — but perhaps his health woes forced him to see things differently.

Even if King Charles III and Prince William are on board with the idea of Zara Tindall becoming a working royal, there's a possibility she might not be too keen on the idea herself. After all, in a joint interview with husband Mike Tindall on BBC's "Rob Burrow, Seven Meets ... " Zara revealed that she was pretty happy about being raised sans royal responsibilities. "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," she began.

As for Princess Anne, she's spoken about that decision, too. In a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair, she explained that the real reason her children don't have titles is because she wanted them to have normal experiences, growing up. "I think it was probably easier for them, and I think most people would argue that there are downsides to having titles, so I think that was probably the right thing to do," she told the outlet. Not long after that, she shared similar sentiments in an interview with Now to Love. Speaking of her rationale at the time she decided to veto the idea of "Prince Peter" and "Princess Zara," she noted, "I think even then it was easy to see that it was a very mixed blessing to have a title." Fair enough!

In light of both mother and daughter having spoken about the benefits of not having titles, it stands to reason that it would probably take a whole lot of convincing for the king's eldest niece to do a complete 180. 

Another reason Princess Anne's daughter is unlikely to become a working royal? Zara Tindall has a pretty lavish life — and while being a working royal certainly sounds luxe, it would require her to give up how she makes a living today. That'd be sponsorships, aka a major no-no for senior and working royals. 

Having said that, in her interview on "Rob Burrow, Seven Meets ... " Zara did speak to her family's famous work ethic. With that in mind, we wouldn't be surprised if she made a point of supporting her cousin when he eventually accedes the throne, just in a less official capacity. After all, despite being non-working royals, both she and Mike Tindall have made appearances at royal events in the past, like Royal Ascot, and even Trooping the Colour (before King Charles III decided to stop non-working royals from posing on the balcony in 2019, anyway). 

So, what will happen to Zara when Charles passes away and Prince William becomes king? Of course, time will tell, and perhaps she won't be opposed to a complete switcheroo. However, based on what she's said in the past and how she's made a life for herself, we doubt much change would be in the cards. Our bet is that she'll be of assistance, just in the background.