Mike Tindall, the former England rugby player and husband of Zara Tindall, made headlines recently with a blunt, one-word comment about Prince Harry. This remark reportedly followed the Platinum Jubilee celebrations for the late Queen at Buckingham Palace in June 2022. Tindall’s critique emerged as Prince Harry returned to the UK for the historic event, though he did not attend the concert held in front of Buckingham Palace, where Tindall was present.
During the Jubilee festivities, Tindall was seated behind Prince Harry and subsequently voiced his opinion about the Duke of Sussex to another guest. According to reports from the Daily Express, Tindall described Harry’s behavior with a derogatory term, underscoring his disapproval. Throughout the celebrations, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle made a limited number of appearances, notably attending the thanksgiving service at St Paul’s Cathedral but otherwise staying out of the spotlight. Zara Tindall did interact with Meghan Markle, yet Mike Tindall chose to remain detached from Prince Harry, engaging mainly with the Earl of Snowdon.
The relationship between the Tindalls and the Sussexes, once characterized by close ties, has apparently deteriorated over time. The rift became more pronounced as Harry and Meghan began mingling with Hollywood celebrities, a shift that reportedly led to a strain in their relationship with Zara and Mike Tindall. Celebrity PR expert Jane Owen has commented on the situation, suggesting that the Tindalls, by leveraging their own royal connections and avoiding the controversies faced by Harry and Meghan, might gain even more public favor in the future.
Despite the ongoing tensions, Mike Tindall is set to play a significant role at the upcoming Invictus Games, an event founded by Prince Harry in 2014 to support wounded veterans. Royal commentator Richard Fitzwilliams has noted that Harry is reportedly displeased with how Tindall’s role at the Games was announced, adding to the ongoing drama surrounding their strained relationship.