It has been claimed that Mike Tindall has 'broken royal protocol' by getting slightly political on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here. The former rugby star, who is married to 20th in line to the throne Zara Phillips, made a cutting remark after listening to some of his fellow campmates quiz Matt Hancock.
During a discussion among the celebrity contestants about missing the news back in the UK, presenter and property expert Scarlette Douglas said: "I wonder if Rishi’s still in power," to which Matt replied: "Yeah, he will be." Talk then turned to former Prime Ministers as Coronation Street star Sue Cleaver asked Matt for his opinion on the short-lived premiership of Liz Truss.
"What do you think went wrong, Matt?" she asked before Sue queried: "Where does that leave her now?" Matt responded: "Her political career is over. No ambiguity at all." Loose Women star and ITV News broadcaster Charlene White also joined in on quizzing, asking the MP for West Suffolk: "Why do you think Tory party members went for the less experienced…"
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Matt said: "I think that’s all about how Boris (Johnson) got kicked out. It was all about people seeing Rishi as wielding the knife against Boris." Charlene then continued to ask: "So they decided to, one could argue, punish the entire country, by putting someone in place who was less experienced?"
To which Matt replied: "That implies a malign motive, which isn’t fair. But they definitely put the disloyalty to Boris as a negative, as a bigger factor than…" Comedian Seann Walsh, who was also a late arrival to the jungle along with Matt, then asked: "Were you a Boris diehard?" to which he responded: "Look, I was very supportive of him, but it was time. When it was time to go, it was time to go."
Later, during a chat with Seann, Mike Tindall proved the conversation was weighing on his mind as the former rugby star said: "I just think all politicians are f*****s." He continued: "I mean for them to even have the conversation just because they're all Boris fans that didn't like how Boris was ousted that you won't pick the best person for the job, that just sums politicians up."
It comes as members of The Royal Family often remain politically neutral and refrain from discussing politics in public and Mike is the husband of Zara Phillips, the daughter of Princess Anne and eldest grandchild of the late Queen Elizabeth II.
During Wednesday's Good Morning Britain (November 16), Susanna Reid and Richard Madeley were asking two of their guests whether Mike's 'royal revelations have gone 'too far'. It comes after he shared a hilarious story about accidentally flashing his pants, which were emblazoned with the words 'nibble my nuts'. at mother-in-law Princess Anne
Fellow former rugby star James Haskell, who is also a friend of Mike's and appears on a podcast with him, argued that Mike is "not a working royal" and is "entitled to do what he wants", adding that Princess Anne would not have been offended.
"One of the things people do around the royal family is they guess, they have perceptions and what we would like it to be but actually, they're a normal family in a normal way and I think in 2022, they are striving to be more open," James told Susanna and father-in-law Richard.
"King Charles has talked about his desire to streamline what they are doing, to show more of a human side." When Susanna suggested Mike may have blown the 'mystery' around the royals, James replied: "I don't think he has exploded it.
"I think what he's done is draw a bit of a curtain back, said something really funny and humanise Princess Anne, who has got an amazing sense of humour. He's not a working royal, Zara's not a working royal. He's entitled to do what he wants to do."
But Michael Cole, a former BBC royal correspondent, disagreed. "Look he’s a nice guy [but] what on earth is he doing demeaning himself and diminishing the royal family by being on this show?" he pondered. He suggested Princess Anne 'wouldn't welcome' Mike telling the story before moving on to his policial chat.
"He made a very pointed political remark,” Michael said, adding: “That’s royal commentary isn’t it. The royal family and politics do not mix. Why can’t he, if he wanted to do a job, do an honest job, be a coach or something."
James was also asked whether Mike would have had to seek permission to be on the show, to which he replied: "I think he had to get all sorts of permission to do this, but he’s not a serving, he’s not a working royal. Zara’s not a working royal. I think this is tied to what he wants to do."
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