Former England rugby star Mike Tindall has opened up on how the Royal Family dealt with the passing of The Queen.
Tindall, who is married to The Queen's granddaughter Zara, explained how the family have coped with her passing on the latest episode of The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast. He presents the show with Alex Payne and James Haskell.
In a special edition of the podcast, Tindall talked exclusively on the mourning period, explaining that the whole process was "sad but also happy".
"In some ways amazing. To see the family come so close together overnight." explained Tindall.
"You never predict it. A 96-year-old lady, you know it's going to happen but you're never ready for when it does."
"Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond around that. It's like the world has lost its grandmother in some way."
Tindall also went on to explain that he regrets having not asked The Queen more.
"I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things. Having more nervousness when you have that lucky seat of being sat next to her."
"Just going back through history and everything that she's possibly seen. When she's meeting dictators she has to stay neutral, she had to just perform her duty."
Tindall was also quizzed on his medals in comical fashion by Haskell, which concluded a fitting tribute to The Queen by the podcast in a positive tone.
Many viewers were surprised to see the rugby star wearing three medals during the Queen's funeral earlier this month given he has no history of military service. It has since emerged one was his MBE and the other two medals were related to jubilees for the Queen. The first was given to Tindall, who married Zara in 2011, and other members of the royal family as part of Her Majesty's Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012.
The other was given to the 43-year-old earlier this year as the Queen marked her Platinum Jubilee. Both Jubilee-related medals have similar designs but with different bands and dates on to correspondent with the anniversaries.
"So how many years did you serve in Afghanistan again?" quizzed Haskell.
"I hate wearing them anyway!" Tindall replied.
"So any service men I am deeply appreciative of your service and I have not served anywhere and have not done anything to achieve those medals apart from being in the family.
"So the Jubilee medals - I got married in 2011. Then 2012 was her (Queen) Diamond Jubilee, so you get a medal for being part of the family, being married in the family at the Jubilee."
Read next:
