![\"Track](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/glasgow-scotland-catherine-princess-of-wales-and-prince-william-prince-of-wales-attend-track-7073990.jpeg\" "\\"Track")
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Despite being heir to the throne, William is often given a sharp reality check by one family member (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n
Prince William<\/a> might be the heir to the throne, but there is one senior member of the Royal Family<\/a> who has no issue putting him firmly back in his place. Despite outranking almost everyone, the Prince of Wales, 44, is frequently given a sharp reality check by none other than his cousin, Zara Tindall<\/a>.<\/p>\n According to royal author Robert Jobson, the down-to-earth equestrian is never afraid to pull William up when his ego gets a bit too big – and the future King simply takes it on the chin. Writing for the Daily Mail, Mr Jobson revealed that Zara<\/a> “can tell the heir to the throne he is being pompous” – and she certainly doesn’t hold back. “He [William] just takes it,” the expert added.<\/p>\n Zara ‘has no angle’ when keeping Prince William grounded (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Born just 13 months apart, William and Zara shared an incredibly close childhood away from the public gaze. The royal cousins bonded over shared summers at Balmoral<\/a>, Christmases at Sandringham and rainy afternoons left to their own devices while the adults were busy.<\/p>\n Mr Jobson noted that Zara “has no angle” when keeping the future Monarch grounded.<\/p>\n “She knew him before he was a headline,” the expert said, adding that Zara was uniquely positioned during the tragic aftermath of his mother’s<\/a> death in 1997, “watching a boy she had grown up with become public property inside a week. Very few people alive can say that.”<\/p>\n It wasn’t just William who received the grounded Zara treatment, either. Mr Jobson noted that Zara offered the same down-to-earth reception when Catherine<\/a> entered the fold. He claimed that Zara “did the same for Catherine, who married in from outside the tent and found waiting there a woman who had spent her whole life declining to be impressed by the tent.”<\/p>\n Born just 13 months apart, William and Zara shared an incredibly close childhood (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n The deep-rooted bond between the pair has sparked plenty of royal chaos over the years. Prince William<\/a> previously confessed to a childhood blunder at Balmoral involving Zara, a go-kart and a very angry Queen Elizabeth II.<\/p>\n Speaking on the Our Queen at Ninety documentary, William recalled: “We were chasing Zara around, who was on a go-kart, and Peter [Phillips] and I managed to herd Zara into a lamppost. And the lamppost came down and nearly squashed her!<\/p>\n “I remember my grandmother being the first person out at Balmoral running across the lawn in her kilt… she came charging over and gave us the most almighty b*******<\/a>.”<\/p>\n Zara is Prince George’s godmother – the only royal to hold the title for his children (Image: Getty)<\/p>\n Today, the pair remain as tight-knit as ever, frequently seen laughing, hugging and sharing jokes at high-profile events including Royal Ascot<\/a>. Demonstrating his utter trust in her, Prince William even chose Zara to be Prince George\u2019s<\/a> godmother – the only member of the Royal Family to hold the title for his children.<\/p>\n![\"Prince](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ascot-united-kingdom-prince-william-prince-of-wales-greets-zara-tindall-as-they-attend-day-7074000.j.jpeg\" "\\"Prince")
<\/p>\n![\"Zara](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/zara-phillips-and-prince-william-circa-1988-7074002.jpg\" "\\"Zara")
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