Thursday, October 23 marks 12 years since Prince George’s christening, and the three-month old future King broke tradition with one element of his ceremony. In the past, members of the Royal Family chose other royals or high-ranking aristocrats to be their children’s godparents. King Charles‘s godparents included everyone from Princess Margaret to the king of Norway, after all. But when it came time to choose Prince George‘s godparents, only one royal made the cut: Prince William‘s cousin, Zara Tindall.

Instead of choosing world leaders, Prince William and Princess Kate asked their close friends and former private secretary to be godparents, along with Princess Anne‘s only daughter (then Zara Phillips). Unlike the rest of their cousins, Zara, 44, and her brother Peter Phillips, 47, don’t have royal titles—a move that was purposeful on Princess Anne’s part to give them more opportunities in their careers.

Royal journalist Victoria Arbiter reflected on Zara and William’s close relationship in the documentary Zara & Anne: Like Mother, Like Daughter. “For William in particular, trust is everything so when you’ve got a cousin that understands what it is to be a member of the Royal Family, but they don’t have the same pressures associated with it, they can be a tower of strength and support,” Arbiter said, via the Daily Mail.

Zara, who is married to former England rugby star Mike Tindall, is close with William’s children and is often photographed joking around with them at royal events. And 11-year-old Mia Tindall has followed in her mom’s footsteps, since her royal bestie is said to be Princess Charlotte, 10.

Although Zara and Mike both share a warm relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales and occasionally support The King at events like palace garden parties, they’re unlikely to ever take on full-time royal roles. Olympic equestrian Zara carries out a number of brand deals, such as for apparel brand Fairfax and Favor, while Mike also does commercial work and hosts the popular podcast “The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.”

Royal expert Robert Jobson shared that he thought the matter came down to “money” and freedom for Zara on an episode of Hello!’s “A Right Royal Podcast” earlier this year.

“I do think that it’s about money,” he said. “She won’t want to be limited commercially by people saying, ‘Oh, she’s a royal, she’s working,” Jobson added. “She shouldn’t be getting this deal or that too.’ That would just complicate matters.”

But even if she doesn’t take on royal work in an official capacity, that doesn’t mean Zara isn’t there to support her family. This summer, she stepped in for King Charles to present a trophy at Guards Polo Club—an award traditionally given by her late grandmother, Queen Elizabeth II. And each year, she supports Princess Kate’s Together at Christmas concert—a highly anticipated holiday event for the Royal Family.