Rugby star Alex Payne, in his new book, recounts a humorous comment from Princess Anne that he believes « would have done the royal family’s reputation the world of good » if it had been broadcast. Alex co-hosts The Good The Bad and the Rugby with James Haskell and Mike Tindall, and in the spinoff book, he details their experience when they brought their « shambles of a podcast » to Windsor Castle to meet the Prince and Princess of Wales and The Princess Royal.
He disclosed: « The royals knew we were spending most of the World Cup on a cruise ship, so Prince William said to Hask, ‘What on earth are you doing that for? Are you going to be the anchor? ‘ And Hask shot back, ‘Well, it sounds a bit like anchor.' » According to Alex, Princess Anne then interjected with perfect comic timing, saying: « Yes, I see that. »
He laments: « I wish we’d been able to keep that in. I think it would have done the royal family’s reputation the world of good – down with the kids and all that – and I could have retired happy there and then. »
He also notes that while the Prince of Wales was an animated guest, particularly when discussing his beloved Aston Villa, the real « star of the show » was undoubtedly Princess Anne, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Mike Tindall, married to Princess Royal’s daughter Zara Tindall, is known as the Royal family’s « fun uncle » and has been a familiar face at many Royal gatherings. Although not an official working royal, the 46 year old former England rugby star has earned his place within the family, even receiving the playful moniker « Shrek » from the King himself.
Despite the warm welcome, there have been moments of tension, as revealed in James Haskell’s book. Haskell recounts an incident where Mike got into hot water for sharing an anecdote on a live version of A Question of Sport about pretending to punch Prince Harry after the 2003 World Cup final, which led to a minor stir, especially after Harry and Meghan Markle‘s biographer Omid Scobie highlighted the story, causing a social media storm.
Nonetheless, James notes that Mike is unfazed by such controversies, stating he gives « zero f***s » about them.
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