Mike Tindall has revealed the surprising way he addresses his mother-in-law, Princess Anne. The former professional rugby player is married to the royal’s daughter, Zara Tindall, and while most husbands may refer to their mothers-in-law by their first name, Mike likes to keep his relationship with Anne formal.
The 46-year-old appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday with fellow former rugby pro James Haskell to chat about their podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, which has previously featured Princess Anne and the Prince and Princess of Wales as guests.
“They were amazing,” Mike said of his in-laws before explaining why he wanted to bring them onto the podcast. “Rugby has been going through a tough time and we wanted to showcase why it brings people together from all backgrounds, it’s such an inclusive sport, but it also creates great human beings,” he said. “It was more important to showcase why they like sport, why Princess Anne has been a patron of [the Scottish Rugby Union] for 37 years and why she loves the characters in the game.
© Photo: Getty Images“It accepts all fans and they come from all sides,” he added.
When asked by host Susanna Reid what he calls his mother-in-law, Mike responded: “Mam.”
© Chris JacksonIt’s no secret that Mike has a close relationship with his in-laws. The rugby star previously credited the royal family, particularly the late Queen Elizabeth II, for making him feel so welcome after marrying Zara in 2011.
“I can only say how kind they’ve been to me, and how welcoming they’ve been to me since joining the family. And how they’ve made my family welcome,” he told The Telegraph in 2021. “I’ve always felt part of it and I think that’s down to what an amazing woman the Queen is.
“They’re a fantastic family,” added Mike, who shares three children, Mia, ten, Lena, five, and Lucas, three, with Zara.
© Alan Davidson/ShutterstockThe dad-of-three also shared an insight into his relationship with Princess Kate during a previous episode of his podcast. When asked about her rugby skills following the Princess’s training session at Twickenham Stadium back in 2022, Mike revealed that he wanted to find out how well Kate had played so he could tease her on the family WhatsApp group.
© Getty Images“I texted Ellis [Genge] and said, ‘Mate, please tell me anything she messed up on’ so I could sort of… family WhatsApp group, get to her, and he said, ‘No she was actually pretty good, and she was really good at kicking,’ and I was like [sighs]. But she has this competitive nature,” Mike said.
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