Mike Tindall has took swipes at Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor and Prince Harry during an appearance at the Hay Festival in Powys.
The former England rugby international was discussing his 2011 wedding to Zara Phillips alongside his podcast co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne when he remarked that he knew the Duke of Sussex “when he was fun”.
Reflecting on guests who had embarrassed themselves at the ceremony, Tindall said: “A lot of other people managed that way better than you [like] Harry, when he was fun.”
The Duke of Sussex serves as godfather to the Tindalls’ second daughter, Lena, though their relationship has reportedly become more distant following the Sussexes’ relocation to Montecito, California.
Mike Tindall revealed he had been warned against discussing the former Duke of York.
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The session, which captured the familiar banter of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast, also saw Tindall mock Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.
After Payne noted that Tindall was well-connected and even had “his own bedroom at Buckingham Palace,” the former rugby player responded: “Opposite end to Andrew, though.”
Tindall acknowledged he had been cautioned about raising the subject, revealing: “Backstage, they were like, ‘It’s being recorded, maybe stay away from [the subject of] Andrew tonight?'”
The comment drew laughs from the festival audience despite the warning he had received beforehand.
Tindall remarked that he knew the Duke of Sussex “when he was fun”.
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Further jokes about Mike Tindall’s royal connections followed throughout the evening.
The former England centre underwent corrective rhinoplasty for his broken nose in 2018, prompting Haskell to quip: “Taxpayers’ money fixed it. It’s got the royal warrant if you look inside it.”
The exchange typified the humour that has made the trio’s podcast popular with listeners, with Tindall’s marriage into the Royal Family providing regular material for his co-hosts.
The session at the literature and arts festival recreated the comedic dynamic familiar to fans of their rugby-focused show.
The trio also revealed they had filmed a pilot for a television series centred on their attempts to manage Richmond Rugby Club in south-west London.
They compared the concept to Welcome to Wrexham, the documentary following Ryan Reynolds’ purchase of a Welsh football club, and Clarkson’s Farm.
Payne disclosed that Amazon Prime had expressed interest in the project, saying: “We’ve got some amazing ideas Amazon Prime are interested if we can get it going.”
He outlined ambitious plans to leverage Tindall’s connections, including hopes of persuading Mick Jagger to perform at Richmond Athletic Ground and potentially arranging for the Princess of Wales to meet the team.