Mike Tindall has revealed the touching story behind Prince Philip’s latest photo with his daughter Mia.
The former England rugby star, 46, posted a photograph of Philip enjoying a light lunch with his eldest son at the Balmoral estate following the death of the Duke of Edinburgh in 2021.
The touching image, taken by the Princess of Wales, shows his wife’s grandfather, who has died aged 99, deep in conversation with Mia as they sat on a wooden bench outside a log cabin.
In his new book The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, written with his podcast co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne, Mike revealed how the image perfectly encapsulated the Royal Family’s annual getaways to Scotland.
He wrote: “Lunch often consisted of going out for a picnic in the open space of the Scottish Highlands.
Undated photograph showing Prince Philip enjoying a light lunch with his great-granddaughter Mia at the Balmoral estate in Scotland.
“There is a great photo of my daughter Mia sitting with the Duke of Edinburgh that captures exactly what those afternoons were like: members of a close-knit family who loved each other dearly and spent precious time together.”
As Prince Philip leans over the wooden table in the image, Mia, now ten, was photographed looking lovingly at her great-grandfather.
While Mike and Zara’s eldest daughter enjoyed a soft drink with her meal, Prince Philip had a glass of beer balanced on a wooden beam next to him.
Although Mike admitted there is “a lot of drama surrounding the Royal Family,” he added: “They’re not much different from anyone else deep down.”
When he first shared the image in 2021, Mike wrote: ‘It’s been a very sad week but it’s given us time to reflect on great memories and stories, both personal and shared.
“A devoted family man who will always be missed but always loved.”
Elsewhere in the book, Mike debunked the assumption that the late Queen’s life was like an episode of Downton Abbey, with “meals at long tables and everyone dressed in their best every night.”
By contrast, the father-of-three described how he regularly joined the Queen and his wife to watch horse racing on television, adding “as I’m sure many people reading this have done with their grandmother.”
Pictured: Mike Tindall on This Morning from January 2022. In his new book, Mike debunked the assumption that the late Queen’s life was like an episode of Downton Abbey.
Mike Tindall has revealed what the British royal family is really like in private and why it is “nothing like Downton Abbey”. Pictured are Mike and Zara greeting the late Queen and Prince Philip in 2006.
Mike stopped by his old school, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Yorkshire, to meet his childhood rugby coach, Trevor.
Father-of-three Mike gave viewers a tour of the school, which was founded by royal charter from Queen Elizabeth I in 1591.
But it was Queen Elizabeth II whom Mike met as a child during his visit to the school in 1992 for her 400th birthday, a moment he “remembers very well”.
The former rugby star recalled fond memories of his school days and proceeded to make a humorous comment about his wife Zara.
Mike showed viewers a photograph of Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the school.
While Mike did not appear to be in the photograph, he recalled the event and said, “I think I met her (Queen Elizabeth II) in biology.”
The rugby star then made a humorous comment about his wife. He joked: “I’m not entirely sure if I told him then that I was marrying Zara, it could have come out of my mouth, I’m not entirely sure.”
The podcast has hosted a variety of royal guests, including a 50-minute fireside chat in Windsor with Princess Anne (centre) and the Prince and Princess of Wales (both right).
Mike met Zara during England’s Rugby World Cup-winning campaign in Australia in 2003. The couple married in a low-key ceremony in Scotland in 2011.
Mike is believed to have had a good relationship with Zara’s grandmother, and previously paid tribute to the late Queen on his podcast.
In September 2022, he said: ‘It’s been sad, emotional but happy. In some ways surprising. Seeing the family get so close overnight.
“You never predict it. A 96-year-old woman, you know it’s going to happen, but you’re never prepared for when it happens.
‘Seeing what Zara had to go through, she obviously loved the Queen more than anything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that.
“It’s like the world has lost its grandmother somehow.”
He continued: ‘I also really regret not asking her so many more things… Getting nervous when you sit there, get that lucky seat of sitting next to her.
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – Unleashed is out tomorrow
‘Going back into history and everything you’ve possibly seen; Fifteen prime ministers, I don’t know how many presidents.
Mike and Zara have long been known for their friendly relationships with all members of the Royal Family, characterizing them as key players uniting the members of The Firm.
Includes the pair close relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales – and Zara’s close bond with her cousins Beatrice and Eugenie.
talking to The times Earlier this year, a royal source dubbed the couple “the glue of their royal generation, no matter how serious the occasion.”
“They can help the family take their minds off the severity of what’s going on,” the source said.
“While some family members can be very ‘real’, Mike is just himself, relaxed and playful.”
The closeness between the cousins is such that they are all part of a WhatsApp group where they exchange messages about upcoming events and family news.
“Me, my brother and then some of Zara’s side, like her brother Pete (Phillips) and the cousins, are on WhatsApp groups,” her husband Mike once revealed. “I wouldn’t say we’re ahead of the curve, but for some reason it’s easier on WhatsApp.”
He added on another occasion: “It’s just what you do to try to organize meetings and we go to something that is the same thing.”
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is a weekly podcast that launched in August 2020 and stars England legends James Haskell and Mike, alongside renowned broadcaster Alex Payne.
The podcast series, in which the trio discuss and banter about rugby, sports, social issues and pop culture, has since amassed a cult following of three million after 299 episodes.
He has hosted a variety of royal guests, including a 50-minute fireside chat at Windsor Castle with Princess Anne and the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The long-awaited book is co-written by the podcast’s three hosts and documents their four years on the show, reflecting on the highs, lows and memorable interviews.