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THERE was a royal guest on tonight's Top Gear.

The Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall took to the wheel of a Toyota GT86 to go head-to-head with husband Mike on a whizz around a Surrey race track.

 The couple shared a quick kiss on the Top Gear sofa
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The couple shared a quick kiss on the Top Gear sofaCredit: BBC

With new presenters Freddie Flintoff, Paddy McGuinness and Chris Harris looking on, Zara climbed into the driver's seat as she appeared on the show's Star in A Reasonably Priced Car segment.

Dressed casually in a jumper, skinny jeans and trainers, the mum-of-two, 38, drove around the track while wearing a white safety helmet.

After sitting in the passenger seat for Zara's timed lap, Mike then enjoyed his turn.

But while most couples would be tense about the prospect of competing against each other on national television, Zara and Mike exchanged a quick kiss at the finish line.

 The couple looked happy and relaxed as they sat on the sofa
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The couple looked happy and relaxed as they sat on the sofa
 Zara and Mike Tindall competed against each other on tonight's Top Gear
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Zara and Mike Tindall competed against each other on tonight's Top Gear

In a nail-biting moment, Zara lost control behind the wheel and hurtled off the gravel onto the grass.

However, she completed her lap in one minute and 41.6 seconds - putting her above Gregory Porter and David Tennant on the leaderboard.

But she still ended up being beaten by Mike, 40, who finished in one minute and 40.5 seconds.

This must have been disappointing for the royals - Zara had said that "the family" were backing her to win.

 Royal fans couldn't get enough of the loved-up pair
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Royal fans couldn't get enough of the loved-up pairCredit: BBC
 Zara said that 'the family' wanted her to win the race - but it wasn't to be
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Zara said that 'the family' wanted her to win the race - but it wasn't to beCredit: Rex Features

In a sweeter moment, we got a bit of a glimpse into the couple's personal life.

As they sat laughing and joking on the sofa, Zara revealed that Mike's favourite type of music to drive to is musicals.

Smiling, he confirmed: "Rock of Ages I do enjoy. Obviously A Star is Born is big at the moment."

Viewers seemed to love seeing the pair looking relaxed and enjoying some time away from their royal life.

One person tweeted: "Love zara and mike - so down to earth and very relatable... such a lovely marriage to see... very honest... i love it!!! @BBC_TopGear [sic]."

Another wrote: "Love how affectionate Zara Tindall is with her husband on @BBC_TopGear. She comes across so lovely and down to earth."

In more royal news, the Queen doesn't own a wardrobe and has an entire floor dedicated to her clothes.

Meghan Markle was given Red Sox and Yankees shirts for Archie as she spent night out with Harry at the baseball.

And Meghan "is only allowed to take Archie on South Africa Royal Tour because of defiant Princess Diana".

Mike Tindall makes the Queen laugh at Royal Ascot by producing a miniature top hat from within his own