Zara engaged

Feb 5, 2007, 13:20 GMT

Britain's Zara Phillips has secretly got engaged to her rugby-player boyfriend, Mike Tindall, it has been reported.

The 25-year-old equestrian champion has only told her closest friends about her happy news, because she wants to keep it quiet until an official announcement is made in August.

The couple - who have been dating for three years - are expected to celebrate their engagement with a huge party.

A royal source told Britain's The Mail on Sunday newspaper: "Zara and Mike are planning to make the engagement official in August, after consulting palace seniors on suitable dates to make the announcement.

"Even through they are a very down-to-earth couple and keep themselves to themselves, they still have to follow royal protocol. It's not like they can just announce the engagement when they feel like it.

"They have already started planning the wedding. Zara wants to wait until after the Olympics in 2008 so she can focus on winning gold for England."

Zara - who was recently voted the BBC's Sports Personality of the Year and awarded a Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (MBE) for her equestrian triumphs - is so devoted to her fiancé she has even told the 28-year-old England rugby star she is ready to give up her impressive horse riding career to start a family.

(C) BANG Media International