Rugby players who reportedly dated royalty, including Maro Itoje

The World Cup winner is the husband of royal stock Zara Tindall.

The couple met during in Australia in 2003, when he was participating in England’s Rugby World Cup campaign. They were introduced to each other by Zara’s cousin Prince Harry, reportedly meeting for the first time in the Manly Wharf bar in Sydney.

In an interview with Australian television programme, 60 Minutes, Zara said the Yorkshire-born rugby star was drowning his sorrows after being dropped from the England squad before the semi-finals.

Mike and Zara had their first child, a daughter, Mia Grace Tindall, in January 2014. The couple announced they were expecting again in 2016 - but Zara tragically suffered a miscarriage.

In January 2018, Zara confirmed she was expecting again, and in June her second daughter Lena was born.

Former England captain Will Carling did little for both his clean cut image and the name of rugby when he hit the headlines in mid- 1990s after allegedly having a romantic relationship with Princess Diana.

Divorce between Carling and his wife Julia followed and it wasn’t long before the tabloids were dubbing the ex-Harlequins man a love rat.

It has never since been confirmed or denied by the former England captain.

The current England star writes poetry in his free time and tried his hand at modelling too. Maro starred alongside Amelia Windsor, cousin of Prince Harry, on a sports luxe-themed Tatler shoot for their October 2018 issue.

Rumours in the press followed that the pair had begun dating, but this was never confirmed or denied by the second-row.

He did later confess to once having an arm wrestle with Amelia – and letting her win.