Mike Tindall has revealed what it was like for him to become part of the Royal family.
The ex-England rugby star, who wed Zara Phillips – Princess Anne’s daughter and a relative of King Charles – in 2011, has given us the inside scoop, and it seems he’s had a smoother ride than Meghan Markle.
Since hanging up his boots, Tindall has stayed in the spotlight, chomping bugs on ITV’s ‘I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here’ and chatting all things rugby on his podcast ‘The Good, The Bad and The Rugby’ alongside James Haskell and Alex Payne. But there’s more coming from him in a book offshoot of the trio’s successful podcast, which is dropping tantalizing teasers into our laps ahead of its release.
READ MORE: King Charles adds cancer-fighting superfood to his daily routine amid health battle
Check out the latest stories from Daily Star
Tindall dished out compliments about his Royal in-laws in an extract from his forthcoming book, parts of which have been published in The Telegraph, saying: “Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal family was pretty easy for me. They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really.”
(Image: Getty Images)
This comes in stark contrast to Meghan Markle, the Suits actress turned Duchess of Sussex who sent shockwaves with her tell-all Netflix documentary slamming her cold reception by Prince William and Kate.
It seems Mike has a unique connection with William, Kate, and their kids, Prince George, Princess Charlotte, and Prince Louis. At the late Queen’s Platinum Jubilee two years ago, Mike was spotted playfully teasing an excited Louis, showing their close bond, reports the Mirror.
In an interview with The Telegraph, Mike shares his special connection with 11-year-old George, who’s following in his dad William’s footsteps as a football fan. Mike says: “George loves his football. I’ve played numerous times in the garden with him. He’s passionate about Aston Villa, too. Wherever he is, he’ll sit down and watch that game.”
Zara previously talked to Australian Women’s Weekly about their kids’ close friendship with the Wales trio, admitting it can get a bit competitive at times. “Our kids play with their kids in this competition we have,” Zara said, with Mike adding: “Competition done the right way is so healthy, I think. It drives people to get better; for sports people it drives you to train, it drives you to push as hard as you can. You need that.”
(Image: Getty Images)
Zara, the renowned silver medallist from the 2012 London Olympics, concurred, stating: “I think our families are fairly competitive.”
The couple also touched on how their kids can become agitated if they don’t have their way in games.
“Mia doesn’t like losing at the moment,” Mike commented about their eldest. “[And] now Lena is getting old enough to start pushing Mia because there’s a bit of a gap.”
It’s hardly shocking that the Tindall offspring are so tight-knit with George, Charlotte and Louis. Mia is merely six months junior to George, while Lena shares her age with Louis, having been born less than two months after the Prince.
Charlotte perfectly bridges the gap between the two sisters.
In a previous chat with the Telegraph, Mike discussed their bond: “Lena and obviously Louis are similar ages and Mia’s sort of in between Charlotte and George, and then you’ve got Peter’s [Phillips] children Savannah and Isla who are just a little bit older.”
He further added: “James [Prince Edward and Sophie’s son] is, well, not exactly the ring leader, but he’s the oldest. So, yeah, it’s going to be a good little group.”
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.