Mike Tindall: Amazing how Royal Family came together over Queen's death

In the interview, Mike Tindall also explained the medals he wore to the Queen's funeral

Mike Tindall has spoken of the "amazing" way the Royal Family came together following the Queen's death.

The former England rugby player also spoke of his regrets over not asking the Queen more when he had the chance.

The 43-year-old is married to Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall.

In a special episode of his podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby, he also addressed the backlash over the medals he wore to the funeral and spoke of his wife's relationship with the Queen.

The days following the Queen's death were sad and emotional for the Royal Family, Tindall said, but it was "amazing in other ways to see the family come so close together overnight". He added he was "blown away" by the country's reaction.

"It's like the world has lost their grandmother in some ways," he said.

Speaking of his sadness, Tindall said although the Queen was 96 and "you know at some point it's going to happen", those around her would never be ready for death.

"I'm not even a direct family member... but watching what my wife, what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else," he said. "Their connection with horses, the same with the Princess Royal, they had a real sort of bond around that."

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Speaking about the nation's "outpouring of love" for the Queen, Tindall said she "wouldn't have thought of it like that, she would have just thought she'd done her duty".

He also told a story - which he said he was unable to verify - about the arrangements for the Queen's funeral. Tindall explained how the plane originally planned to carry her coffin was too small, so a larger one previously used to transport the bodies of service personnel from Afghanistan was selected instead, to which the Queen replied: "If it's good enough for my boys, it's good enough for me."

Tindall spoke of how the Queen "led by example", recalling how, because of Covid-19 restrictions, she sat by herself, away from her family, during the Duke of Edinburgh's funeral last year. In an apparent dig at the government and a party held at 10 Downing Street the night before, he said: "Because of where the pandemic was at that time, she made the real statement to everyone else - unfortunately our government wasn't watching - of how it needed to be."

Mike Tindall - pictured with his then girlfriend, now wife, Zara, greeting the Queen and Prince Philip in 2006 - said he felt lucky to have spent time with the Queen

The former Bath and Gloucester outside centre acknowledged how lucky he was to have had the time with the Queen he did, but - highlighting how much she had witnessed during her 70-year reign - he added: "I also have loads of regrets about not asking her so many more things."

The father-of-three also addressed the social media backlash he faced for wearing medals to the Queen's funeral.

Responding to the trolls, Tindall said those who were angry did not need to "shout at me... you can just ask and I probably will reply to you".

He explained that two were for the Diamond and Platinum Jubilees, and the third was for becoming an MBE when every member of England's 2003 Rugby World Cup winning squad was honoured. He said there was a strict dress code for the funeral and he had been told to wear them, even though in his eyes "I haven't done anything to deserve them".

He also spoke of how his relationship with Charles will likely change now that he is King, laughingly recalling how he "almost curtseyed to the King the other day. I was just following behind my wife, I saw her curtsey and fortunately didn't... it was a lower bow", adding he thought he had "styled it out".