Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall set wedding date

The couple met in Australia in 2003

Zara Phillips and rugby player Mike Tindall are to be married in Edinburgh on 30 July, Buckingham Palace has said.

The wedding will take place at the Canongate Kirk on the Royal Mile.

The couple announced their engagement in December, just weeks after Prince William and Kate Middleton said they planned to marry on 29 April.

The Queen's oldest granddaughter, Miss Phillips, 29, and Mr Tindall, 32, met during England's Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003.

Miss Phillips, who is not a working member of the royal family but is 12th in line to the throne, was educated at Gordonstoun boarding school in Morayshire.

She has achieved sporting success in her own right, winning individual gold in three-day eventing at the World Equestrian Games in Germany in 2006.

The title helped her become BBC Sports Personality of the Year later that year, following in the footsteps of her mother, Princess Anne, who won the award in 1971.

Private event

Miss Phillips has missed two Olympic Games after her horse, Toytown, suffered injuries, but is hoping to compete in the London 2012 Games.

Mr Tindall currently plays for and captains Gloucester, and remains in the England team - which he has also skippered during this year's Six Nations championship.

Iain Balshaw, who was also part of England's victorious World Cup squad, is reported to be Tindall's best man.

The service at the Canongate Kirk will be followed by a reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse

Palace sources say the wedding will be private, with costs covered by the families. Royal officials said the couple will hold their reception at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, the Queen's official home in Scotland.

Canongate Kirk, which serves a Church of Scotland congregation, was completed in 1691.

It is the parish church of Edinburgh Castle and where the Queen worships when at residence at Holyroodhouse.

Rev Neil Gardner, minister of Canongate Kirk and domestic chaplain to the Queen in Scotland, welcomed the Buckingham Palace announcement.

In a statement, he said: "I am delighted that it has been announced that Zara Phillips and Mike Tindall are to be married in Canongate Kirk, the Kirk of Holyroodhouse, this summer.

"I look forward to working with them in the planning and preparation for their special day."

Meanwhile tourism body VisitScotland urged businesses to get creative and make the most of the wedding, such as creating menus with a royal flavour or introducing royal-themed romantic breaks.

Chairman Mike Cantlay said: "It's a great opportunity for tourism in this country and we would urge businesses to take advantage of this great occasion."