Mike Tindall reveals wife Zara’s deep bond with the late Queen Elizabeth and his biggest royal regret

Mike Tindall has opened up on the touching bond between his wife Zara and the late Queen Elizabeth II while reflecting on some regrets he has about missed conversations with the former monarch.

In his new book, The Good, the Bad & the Rugby – Unleashed, the former rugby star shares insights into the special relationship between his wife and her grandmother, expressing his deep respect for his in-laws.

While reflecting on royal connections, Tindall hinted at the grief his wife felt after the Queen’s passing.

“Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else,” he said.

“Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that. It’s like the world has lost its grandmother in some way.”

For Tindall, the Queen’s passing also represented a lost opportunity to learn from someone at the centre of so many historical moments.

“I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things… Having nervousness when you sit there, get that lucky seat of being sat next to her,” Tindall said.

“Going back through history and everything she’s possibly seen; 15 prime ministers, I don’t know how many presidents.”

Elsewhere in the book, Tindall offered some praise for his mother-in-law, Princess Anne, sharing a glimpse into their casual yet insightful conversations.

“With Princess Anne, it’s the conversation we have about rugby at Gloucester, or about Scotland after every Six Nations game,” he wrote.

“A lot of the time, it will be about a player. She’ll say to me, ‘Should he not be doing this more?’ And I’ll think, ‘You’re actually not that far off.’

“We were asking the same questions I had asked them before, but this time they were giving the answers to the public, rather than just to me.”

While he has some regrets, Tindall describes his entry into royal life as straightforward and positive, defending the royals and their treatment of him as a new member which stands in stark contrast to recent criticisms from Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.

“Believe it or not, marrying into the Royal Family was pretty easy for me,” he wrote.

“They were always nice to me, and I was always nice to them. Simple really.”