Mike Tindall has revealed what the British royal family is really like in private and why it is “nothing like Downton Abbey”.
The former England rugby star, who is married to King Charles’ niece Zara, is known for his close relationships with several of his wife’s relatives and explained how the royals “are a very close-knit family who loved each other deeply.” .
in your book, The Good, the Bad and Rugby: Unleashed, with James Haskell and father-of-three Alex Payne, out Oct. 24, 46, described watching TV with the late Queen and relaxed picnic lunches with family.
He added that despite most people’s idea of Queen Elizabeth II’s life, it was not like an episode of Julian Fellowes’ much-loved period drama Downton Abbey, “with meals at long tables and everyone dressed up.” in their best clothes every night”.
Instead, Mike recalled: “Zara and I used to watch the races with her on TV, as I’m sure many people reading this have done with their grandmother.”
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.
He continued: ‘Lunches were also relaxed, especially in Scotland where lunch was often taken in the open space of the Scottish Highlands for a picnic.
“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.”
The image Mike referred to is believed to be the same photograph shared by the former rugby player on Instagram on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
He shared the photo, which he credited as having been taken by Kate, Princess of Wales, along with a caption that read: “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,” Mike concluded in his tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s late husband.
The snapshot of Prince Philip, who died aged 99 at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021, showed the duke sitting in front of a wooden cabin.
He was leaning over a wooden table enjoying a meal in the countryside alongside Mike and Zara’s eldest daughter Mia, 10.
In the excerpt from his new book, Mike explained: ‘Sometimes they ask me if the Queen did informality like “normal” people, and the answer is yes.
Mike is believed to have been referring to this photograph shared by the former rugby player on Instagram on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. Pictured is Prince Philip sitting next to Mia Tindall.
In September 2023, during an episode of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, the former rugby ace explained that he met Queen Elizabeth II long before joining the royal family, when he was just 13 years old. In the photo, Zara, Mike and the late queen in 2016
“Her life wasn’t like an episode of Downton Abbey, with meals at long tables and everyone dressed in their best clothes every night.”
In September 2023, during an episode of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, the former rugby ace explained that he met Queen Elizabeth II long before joining the royal family, when he was just 13 years old.
The husband of King Charles’s niece, Zara, 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 in 1991.
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.”
Mike and Zara Tindall appear at Royal Ascot in June this year.
The former England rugby ace 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.
‘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 Welsh – and Zara’s close bond with her cousins Beatrice and Eugenie.
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).
talking to The times Earlier this year, a royal source dubbed the couple the “glue of their generation of royals, no matter how serious the occasion.” They can help the family distract themselves from the severity of what is happening.
“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.
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – Unleashed is out tomorrow
“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.
