Zara Tindall laughed off claims she’s a ‘royal rebel’ after getting her tongue pierced

FROM Lady Amelia Windsor posing topless on the beach to Meghan Markle's baby shower, a number of royals have been accused of being "rebels" over the years - including Zara Tindall.

The Queen's eldest granddaughter was forced to deny claims she had been straying from royal tradition after she was pictured with a tongue piercing at 17.

In an unearthed interview with magazine in 2011, Zara laughed off her image as a "royal rebel", explaining these days, she's more likely to be found cooking spaghetti bolognese for her husband, Mike Tindall.

"At least I didn't have it coming out of my nose, or anything," she said at the time.

The daughter of Princess Anne famously revealed her tongue stud to the rest of the royal family at Prince Charles' 50th birthday party in 1998.

It's reported that she had the piercing at a tattoo parlour close to her boarding school - the Gordonstoun School in Moray, Scotland.

At the time, it was believed that Princess Anne didn't mind, but asked if she was still able to speak properly.

It was also rumoured that the royal had a belly button piercing.

While there are no official "rules" on piercings within the royal family, it's thought there are stricter traditions to adhere to for senior members of the firm.

And Zara, 38, isn't the only royal to have one or two, with the likes of Lady Amelia Windsor - who has piercings along her ear lobe and mid-helix - and Lady Marina Windsor, who was spotted with a tragus piercing in 2012.

Earlier this week, a royal expert claimed the Queen has a “tighter bond with Zara and husband Mike than she does with Kate and William”.

Ingrid Seward, Editor-in-Chief of Majesty Magazine, told Fabulous Digital that the Queen likes to be around the Tindalls as they seem more “normal” than the Cambridges.

She added: “The Queen has always adored Zara and is so proud of her riding success.

"They have a lot in common as they talk horses and the Queen has invested in several horses for her.”

Zara has previously said she is "lucky" her parents didn't give her a royal title.