Mike Tindall Reveals the Royal Family Is 'Nothing Like' 'Downton Abbey'
Mike Tindall is giving insight into what life is like with Zara Tindall and the royal family, making it clear that it is "nothing like Downton Abbey."
"Lunches were also relaxed, especially up in Scotland, where lunch would often be heading out into the open space of the Scottish Highlands for a picnic," the father-of-three told an outlet when explaining how his in-laws are in private.
"There's a great picture of my daughter Mia sitting with the Duke of Edinburgh that captures exactly what those afternoons were like: members of a very close family who loved each other dearly spending precious time together," he noted.
Tindall is currently promoting his new book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby — Unleashed, with James Haskell and Alex Payne, and the trio is sharing more about their lives.
OK! previously reported Haskell revealed Omid Scobie brought additional attention to Tindall's previous joke about pretending to punch Prince Harry at a Rugby World Cup party in 2003.
"It did come back into public consciousness when that very odd bloke Omid Scobie started sticking up for Harry and Meghan, and loads of trolls went in on Tins, especially about him wanting to fill in a young, defenseless Harry," Haskell explained in their shared project. "All context, sarcasm and humor lost, when things are taken out of the zone they were meant to be in."
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Scobie's decision to include the once viral moment in his book led to a resurgence of the royal scandal.
"To be fair to Tins he gives zero f---- about stuff like that, but it’s very annoying for him," Haskell noted. "Royal fans can be mental. I think we all know that American royal fans are f------- nuts, especially Scobieites."
In recent months, Tindall has been pushing back against Meghan Markle's depiction of the royals, as the former actress alluded to them being uninviting.
"Believe it or not, marrying into the royal family was pretty easy for me," Tindall shared. "They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really."
"I expected big trays loaded with scones and exotic fruit tarts," he noted. "Instead, I got a couple of broken rich teas and what appeared to be a half-eaten malted milk – a leftover from a box of Family Circle biscuits."
In Harry & Meghan, Meghan attempted to explain why she and Harry chose to leave the royal fold, and she hinted at her transition into being a working duchess being challenging.
"We landed in Canada and one of our security guards who had been with H for so long, and these guys were so wonderful, I just collapsed in his arms crying," Meghan said in the tell-all project.
"I was like: 'I tried so hard,' and he was like: 'I know you did. I know you did ma'am, I know you did,'" she shared. "Like I tried so hard. And that's the piece that's really triggering because you go: 'And it still wasn't good enough. And you still don't fit in.'"
Tindall spoke to Daily Mail.