Zara Tindall has long enjoyed a close friendship with Prince William as rumours swirl that she could take on more royal duties

A royal author has claimed that Zara Tindall is like the sister Prince William never had.

As well as being close allies, Zara and husband Mike Tindall are also both reportedly very close with Waleses, with Zara acting as godmother to the couple’s children. Speaking to Hello! magazine, author Ingrid Seward said: “Zara is the sister William never had. They’ve always had terrific fun together and they’ve always supported each other.”

Mike has also revealed in the past some of what has happened when the two couples have been on double dates. Speaking on The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast Mike revealed that Princess Kate was “uber competitive” at beer pong and called William “One Pint Willy” claiming the heir to the throne didn’t drink much.

Away from podcasts and double dates, there has been speculation that Zara could step up into more active royal duties as Princess Anne recovers from a concussion and Princess Kate and King Charles recover from their cancer diagnoses.

However, a friend says this is far from becoming a reality.