Prince William once revealed he was left 'blubbing in pieces' as he 'proudly' watched his cousin Zara Tindall take on one of the biggest moments in her life and career - and it proves just how close the cousins are.
It's not often we get to peak behind the royal curtain and look in on the royals as they live their day-to-day lives. But every now and then we're given some insight into their private family life and are reminded that, like the rest of us, they're just all relatives trying to support one another through life's ups and downs, although life for those in the royal line of succession is pretty different to life for the rest of us.
It's also not often Prince William and Zara Tindall are seen in public together, but that doesn't mean the pair aren't close. The two have shared a close bond since childhood, with Zara often bringing out William's goofier side, and their love for one another is undeniable. Especially after William's heartwarming admission to "tearing up" while watching his cousin take on one of her career's highlights.
During an appearance on Zara's husband Mike Tindall's podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, William revealed that when he watched Zara win the European Championship for equestrianism back in 2005, he couldn't contain his emotion and found himself "in pieces".
"I was down in Exmoor at the time camping," he said. "We were all huddling around the phone watching it. She was there, she was blubbing away, the flag was going up. I was in pieces."
Kate Middleton recalled her husband's reaction to the win, adding, "I can remember because you came back and said 'I've never been so proud of anyone'."
Three months after William's revelation, nearly two decades after he watched her win the Championship, Zara shared in an interview with Women's Weekly, as per reports in The Mirror, that she was "very surprised" to hear his "touching" account of watching the ordeal.
She said, "I've never heard him say that before. I was very surprised."
She added that, for her, her "greatest" moment of family support came when she was "riding at the Olympics and getting a team Silver". She revealed, "All of my cousins came and watched on the final day.
"Everyone's usually so busy, it's hard to come and watch, so it was amazing to have everyone there. It made it even more special than it already was. They were all very supportive and proud. It was great."
But it's not just William supporting Zara through her career. One royal expert has highlighted that despite Zara not being a working royal, her importance in William's life cannot be understated, with her "unwavering loyalty and dedication to her family" being incredibly important to the future King especially as he goes through this "scary time" after King Charles's cancer diagnosis.
In the Channel 5 documentary, Zara and Anne: Like Mother Like Daughter, expert Victoria Arbiter revealed, "For William in particular, trust is everything so when you've got a cousin that understands what it is to be a member of the Royal Family, but they don't have the same pressures associated with it, they can be a tower of strength and support.
"It's Zara's loyalty and total dedication to her family that has made her such an asset to the cousins who have had to endure the negative side of royal life."
