Why Zara and Mike Tindall opted not to sit in the Royal Box at Wimbledon

The Queen's granddaughter Zara Tindall and her husband Mike enjoyed a day out at the tennis yesterday.

The couple were spotted watching the match at Wimbledon between Novak Djokovic and David Goffin - but they weren't enjoying the game from the prestigious seats within the Royal Box.

Although they presumably have a fast-track ticket to the best spot in the house, they decided against sitting there, instead taking their place in the normal stands within Centre Court. But why?

According to Hello! magazine, Mike and Zara were special guests of Rolex at the event.

Zara has worked with the high-end watch brand multiple times in the past, so it's very likely that they decided to sit with them and the rest of their guests at the event.

But in fact, scanning back through the years, it seems that Mike and Zara have never - or rarely - actually sat in the Royal Box at Wimbledon. So it seems it may well just be a preference for the down-to-earth couple!

Their seats meant that Zara and Mike Tindall were separated from her aunties Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, and Sophie, Countess of Wessex, during the day, who, as expected, took their seats in the Royal Box to watch the game.

Entry into the exclusive area of Wimbledon is highly restricted, with royals from the UK and abroad normally the first to be invited into it.

Heads of government, people who work in the world of tennis, prominent media organisations and commerical partners of Wimbledon normally make up the rest of the Royal Box, as well as guests of the royal family, such as Kate Middleton's family, including Pippa and Carole Middleton.

In 2003, it was decided that players at Wimbledon no longer had to bow or curtsey to members of the royal family as they left or entered Centre Court.

However, there are exceptions for the Queen and Prince Charles, for whom the practise should still be upheld. However, the monarch and Prince of Wales haven't attended the annual tennis tournament in a number of years, with Charles visiting most recently in 2012.