Mike Tindall has given an insight into what it’s like to spend a night in Buckingham Palace with the royal family.
The former rugby star is currently taking part in I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! and told his fellow campmates that he’d been to the royal residence “more than most”.
Tindall, who is married to the Princess Royal’s daughter, Zara Tindall, became a member of the royal family in July 2011 when they wed.
He told campmate Owen Warner that the palace mostly comprised of “state rooms”, adding that “there’s only a little bit of living”.
Warner asked: “In the morning, could you go down in your joggers and T-shirt, or did you have to get dressed up again?”
Tindall relied: “No, jeans and a [T-shirt].”
The Hollyoaks star admitted that surprised him as he “thought you had to be suited and booted”. Before asking any more questions, he asked Tindall if he minded speaking about it and got the green light.
Asked if he knew Zara was a member of the royal family when he met her, Tindall said: “Yeah, because I know she’s Princess Anne’s daughter. Princess Anne is patron of Scottish Rugby.”
Warner was curious about whether Tindall felt any “pressure” when he was getting to know Zara, but he said that wasn’t the case.
“No, because we were friends first and then [Princes] William and Harry were massive England fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times,” the former England player explained.
“[I] met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating.”
Tindall met Zara during the 2003 Rugby World Cup. He was awarded an MBE that same year for helping bring the England team the World Cup in Australia.
During his time on this year’s I’m A Celebrity, which first aired on 6 November on ITV1, Tindall has spoken candidly about life in the royal family.
Last week, he delighted fans when he revealed that he sl**dropped in front of his mother-in-law during Zara’s 30th birthday party and accidentally flashed the royal when his trousers split.
He told comedian Seann Walsh that he happened to be wearing boxers at the time that said “nibble my nuts”, to which Anne responded: “I’d rather not.”
