Mike Tindall has revealed what the royal family looks like in private – and why it’s ‘nothing like Downton Abbey’.
The former England rugby star, who is married to King Charles’ cousin Zara, is known for his close relationships with several of his wife’s relatives and explained that the royals are “a very close-knit family who loved each other very much.”
In his book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, written with co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne, out today, father-of-three, 46, described watching TV with the late queen and leisurely picnic lunches with the family.
He added that despite most people’s idea of Queen Elizabeth II’s life, it was nothing like an episode of Julian Fellowes’ beloved period drama Downton Abbey, “with meals at long tables and everyone dressed in their adornment’.
Instead, Mike recalled, “Zara and I often watched the race on TV with her, as I’m sure many people reading this did with their grandmothers.”
Mike Tindall has revealed what the British royal family looks like in private – and why it’s ‘nothing like Downton Abbey’. Mike and Zara are pictured greeting the late Queen and Prince Philip in 2006
He continued: ‘Lunch was also relaxed, especially in Scotland where lunch often took to the open spaces of the Scottish Highlands for a picnic.
‘There is a wonderful photo of my daughter Mia, sitting with the Duke of Edinburgh, which captures exactly what those afternoons were like: members of a very close-knit family who loved each other very much and spent precious time together.’
It is thought the image Mike was referring to is the same photo the former rugby player shared on Instagram on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021.
He shared the photo, which he said was taken by the Princess of Wales, along with a caption: ‘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 we will forever miss but always love,” Mike concluded in his tribute to Queen Elizabeth’s late husband.
The snapshot of Prince Philip, who died at Windsor Castle on April 9, 2021, aged 99, showed the duke outside a log cabin.
He leaned over a wooden table and enjoyed a meal in the countryside with Mike and Zara’s eldest daughter Mia, now ten.
Mike explained: ‘I am sometimes asked whether the Queen practiced informality like ‘normal’ people, and the answer is yes.
Mike is said to have been referring to this photo that the former rugby player shared on Instagram on the eve of Prince Philip’s funeral in April 2021. In the photo, Prince Philip is sitting next to Mia Tindall
In September 2023, during an episode of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, the former rugby great explained that he met Queen Elizabeth II long before joining the royal family at the age of 13. In the photo Zara, Mike and the late queen 2016
‘Her life was nothing like an episode of Downton Abbey, with meals at long tables and everyone dressed up every night.’
In September 2023, the former rugby great explained during an episode of The Good, The Bad & The Rugby that he met Queen Elizabeth II long before he became a member of the royal family at the age of 13.
Mike stopped by his former school, Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Yorkshire, to meet Trevor, his boyhood rugby coach.
Father-of-three Mike gave viewers a tour of the school, which was founded in 1591 by Royal Charter from Queen Elizabeth I.
But it was Queen Elizabeth II who met Mike as a child during her 400th anniversary visit to the school in 1992, a moment he “remembers very well.”
The former rugby union star recalled fond memories of his school days and then made a humorous comment about his wife Zara.
Mike showed viewers a photo of Queen Elizabeth during her visit to the school.
Although Mike didn’t appear to be in the photo, he reminisced about the event, saying, “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 her at the time that I was going to marry Zara, it could have come out of my mouth, I’m not entirely sure.”
Mike and Zara Tindall will be appearing at Royal Ascot in June this year
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 was sad, emotional but happy. Great in some ways. To see the family come so close together overnight.
‘You never predict it. As a 96 year old lady you know it’s going to happen, but you’re never ready for it when it happens.
‘When I saw what Zara had to go through, it was clear that she loved the Queen more than anything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that.
“It’s as if the world has somehow lost its grandmother.”
He continued, “I also really regret not asking her more things… If you have nervousness when you sit there, get the happy spot of sitting next to her.
“Going back through history and everything she may have seen; 15 prime ministers, I don’t know how many presidents.’
Mike and Zara have long been known for their friendly relationships with everyone in the Royal Family, seeing themselves as key players connecting the members of The Firm.
It includes that of the couple close relationship with the Prince and Princess of Wales – 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)
Speak with The times earlier this year, a royal source called the couple the “glue of their generation of royals, no matter how serious the occasion.”
“They can help take the family’s mind off the seriousness of what is going on,” the source said.
‘Although some family members can be very ‘royal’, Mike is just himself and is relaxed and playful.’
The bond between the cousins is so strong that they are all part of a WhatsApp group where they exchange messages about upcoming events and family news.
‘Me, my brother and then a few from Zara’s side, like her brother Pete [Phillips] and the cousins are in WhatsApp groups,” her husband Mike once revealed. “I wouldn’t say we’re progressive, but for some reason it’s just easier on WhatsApp.”
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby – Unleashed is released tomorrow
On another occasion he added: ‘It’s all about organizing meetings and we’re going to something that’s the same.’
The Good, The Bad & The Rugby is a weekly podcast launched in August 2020, starring England legends James Haskell and Mike, alongside renowned broadcaster Alex Payne.
The podcast series, in which the trio discuss and tease rugby, sport, social issues and pop culture, has since amassed a cult following of three million after 299 episodes.
It 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.
Co-written by the three podcast hosts, the highly anticipated book documents their four-year tenure on the show, reflecting on highs, lows and memorable interviews.
