ZARA Tindall might be a born-and-bred royal, but she was denied a wedding gift that Princess Kate received.
The 42-year-old married her rugby player husband, Mike Tindall, in July 2011 - just three months after Kate Middleton and Prince William tied the knot.
The couple married at Canongate Kirk on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile, with Zara wearing a simple dress designed by Stewart Parvin, one of the Queen's favourite couturiers.
By comparison, 42-year-old Kate’s dress was designed by Alexander McQueen’s creative director, Sarah Burton.
It reportedly cost £250,000, making it one of the most expensive wedding dresses ever made.
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But it wasn't just a difference in grandeur that separated Zara and Kate’s weddings.
There was a huge difference between the wedding honours each couple received from the Queen.
In keeping with royal tradition, Prince William, 41, became the Duke of Cambridge on his wedding day, as instructed by his grandmother.
This meant that when he tied the knot with Kate (now the Prince and Princess of Wales), she automatically became the Duchess of Cambridge.
However, royal custom prevented Zara from receiving a title on her wedding day.
It is only sons and grandsons of the presiding monarch that traditionally receive peerages when they marry.
The reason why British princesses are not afforded this benefit dates back to a long time ago.
Back in the day, princesses were nearly always married off into foreign royal families.
This was to help secure ties with other European monarchs and would give Britain a political advantage when princesses assumed the titles of their new foreign husbands.
This custom stopped around World War I.
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TO TITLE OR TO NOT
Unlike her royal cousins, Zara did not grow up with a title.
Princess Anne, 73, rejected royal titles for her children as she wanted them to have normal upbringings.
She also shares son Peter Philips, a British businessman, with her first husband, Captain Mark Phillips.
Zara and Mike have three children together: Mia, 10, Lena, five, and Lucas, three.
The couple are widely regarded as the most down-to-earth members of the Royal Family, with Mike even appearing on ITV’s I’m A Celeb.
Mum-of-three Zara is set to turn 43-years-old on Wednesday.
