Mike Tindall once made his feelings crystal clear about Prince Harry with a savage one-word comment. The former England rugby union star and husband of King Charles’s niece, Zara, is understood to have delivered the barb after Queen Elizabeth II’s platinum celebration at Buckingham Palace in June 2022.
The Duke of Sussex had travelled back to London to participate in the historic event, which occurred three months prior to Her Majesty’s passing at the age of 96, though he didn’t attend the Palace concert. Tindall found himself positioned behind Harry’s sibling, Prince William, now the Prince of Wales. After the concert concluded, Tindall spoke to another attendee, reportedly branding Prince Harry‘s conduct as that of a “b******.”
Throughout the festivities, Harry and wife Meghan Markle made just one official public appearance alongside family members, at a service at St Paul’s Cathedral. While Zara was spotted conversing with Meghan, her husband refrained from engaging in dialogue with Harry, choosing instead to remain quiet or chat with the Earl of Snowdon.
After the ceremony, Zara joined her husband, who had positioned himself at the exit, greeting guests as they departed. Footage captured them being approached by the Duke and Duchess before Zara and Meghan were seen having a cordial conversation.
The Duke and Duchess previously shared a close relationship with the Tindalls but are reported to have grown distant after the Sussexes started mingling with Hollywood A-listers. Jane Owen, celebrity PR expert and founder of Jane Owen PR, previously told The Mirror that “Hollywood loves Royalty,” suggesting that both Zara and Mike “can take advantage of that interest and attention” if they wished.
Meanwhile, Harry was reportedly “furious” at the prospect of Tindall being handed a prominent position at the Invictus Games, the Paralympics-style competition established by the Duke in 2014 for injured military veterans.
Ultimately, Tindall declined to accept the position, focusing on interests, including his podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby. One venture that has been creating ripples is the proposed breakaway R360 league.
Tindall has been spearheading plans for a groundbreaking franchise competition, which had aimed to lure the sport’s top talent. However, the contentious idea suffered a significant blow earlier this month when most of the leading rugby-playing nations joined forces to caution that any players participating in R360 would be banned from competing in Test matches.
Following the International Rugby Players Association’s recommendation for its members to obtain legal counsel before signing a R360 contract, it represented a substantial obstacle for a league scheduled to commence in October 2026.
Should it proceed, it must do so without the sport’s premier stars, which would deal a crushing blow to Tindall’s ambitions. While not officially part of the joint statement, the Welsh Rugby Union – currently undergoing a restructuring of its domestic game – backed the stance of its fellow unions, maintaining its right to exclude players from international duty if they participate in R360.
The proposed rebel league plans to feature 12 franchised teams – eight men’s and four women’s – competing in a global grand prix-style competition with matches set to take place in major cities, including London, Miami, Tokyo and Lisbon.