It’s hard out here for a prince. In the name of some cousinly teasing last month, Mike Tindall gifted Prince William a royal blush just ahead of Christmas when he revealed on his podcast that he calls the heir “One Pint Willy.” Apparently, Tindall bestowed the cheeky title of lightweight upon the royal, owing to his lack of tolerance for alcohol. Now Tindall has had to pay a royal apology for his admission.
“He apologized to me about that,” William said Thursday of the nickname during a visit to Leeds’ Headingley Stadium, where he chatted with ex-rugby pros Rob Burrow and Kevin Sinfield about their work raising money and awareness of motor neurone disease—and Tindall’s sassy comment. Burrow, the host of the podcast where Mike made his admission, was diagnosed with MND in 2019. He had Tindall, an ex-professional rugby player himself, on his Seven: Rob Burrow podcast in December.
“He’s not the best of drinkers,” Tindall confided of his cousin-in-law while on the show, explaining his moniker for the prince. “It’s out there now, sorry, sir.”
His wife, Zara Tindall, cousin to William and his brother Prince Harry, knew from the moment it left her husband’s mouth that there was going to be some fallout from divulging the nickname.
“You’re in so much trouble!” she warned him.
Indeed, William shared Thursday that Mike had begged his forgiveness for the silly share. According to the Mirror, William told Burrow about the fallout of Tindall’s joke.
“It was you who got the nicknames out of him,” he said. “He apologized to me about that. When I saw him, I said, ‘Mike, when you’re not going to mention your nicknames doesn’t mean you mention mine, it’s not fair.’ I’m sure it’s quite fun with Mike.”
Indeed, William’s family, including wife Kate Middleton and their three children, appears to enjoy a very fun relationship with the Tindall crew: Princess Charlotte was recently spotted sharing a sweet moment with her cousin Mia Tindall on Christmas morning, and the families have revealed that they compete in games when they get together.
The real reason for William’s visit to the players’ former stomping grounds, however, wasn’t to clarify his capabilities at the pub: He bestowed Burrow and Sinfield with their Order of the British Empire honors. Both now officially bear “CBE” after their names, for commander.
“I’ve brought a special couple of things up with me to give you today,” he said at beginning of the surprise ceremony. “I did check with Kevin to make sure you didn’t want to go down to London to receive this, but I brought your CBEs up here to give to you today if that’s okay, while you’re in your home, in Leeds, surrounded by your family and friends. I thought today was a good day.”
He thanked both men for their inspiration, fundraising, and advocacy surrounding the condition.
“The most amount of thank yous and congratulations for all the inspirational work you’ve done, Rob,” he continued. “You’ve been amazing and everyone’s so proud of you. We’ve been following your case and all the money you’ve been raising, and you’re changing people’s lives with MND.”
When he gave Sinfield his CBE, William said of his work with his teammate, “Your brotherly bond and relationship between the two of you has been so amazing to watch—an inspiration to everyone to go, like, this is how we help each other. The groundswell you’ve created in terms of fundraising and looking after each other and for MND is huge.”
Now there’s something to raise a (single) pint to.
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Kase Wickman
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