Mike Tindall swerved a cheeky question on Prince Harry as he refused to discuss possible tensions in the royal household over the festive season.
The rugby star has enjoyed many a Christmas with the royal family throughout his 11-year marriage to Princess Anne's daughter Zara Tindall - but Mike has always remained notoriously tight-lipped when it comes to what it's like having one of the world's most famous families as in-laws. However, that didn't stop one of his co-stars posing a jokey question about Harry in the wake of his and Meghan's explosive Netflix documentary.
During the most recent festive edition of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, Mike was quizzed about what Christmas would be like in the royal family this year. "Is it going to be very different this year for you lot?" host Alex Payne asked him.
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"Yeah, it probably will be," Mike admitted. "I don't really know. I'm quite looking forward to it."
After a somewhat awkward pause as Mike seemed hesitant to say any more on the subject, Alex tried to draw more out of his co-star. "It's been an extraordinary year for you," he went on.
"Obviously, there's a lot of change," Mike said.
"King's speech?" his rugby player co-star James Haskell chimed in, referencing the fact that King Charles will deliver the iconic Christmas speech on TV for the first time this year.
"Yeah, there's a lot of firsts," Mike replied vaguely.
James then cheekily asked: "It is going to be pin the tail on Harry, like running him around and trying to smash the piñata?"
But Mike didn't seem to see the funny side, giving James a stern look. He addressed his co-stars: "You know when I said about being in the jungle..."
Before Alex jumped in and asked: "How much you missed us?"
Mike replied: "Yeah, and diving around where you go with stories?"
Alex then joked: "You're more fleet of foot now than when you were a player, funnily enough," before moving the conversation swiftly along to a different subject.
The royal family are set to spend Christmas at Sandringham for the first time in three years as King Charles and Queen Consort Camilla host this year's festive celebrations. Mike has previously opened up about what Christmas looks like in the royal household - and revealed that there are some unconventional traditions in place.
On an episode of his podcast back in 2019, Mike divulged that around 70 guests were present at his last royal Christmas lunch - so many that the children in the family dine away from the adults at a separate table in another room. This includes Prince William and Kate's three children Prince George, Princess Charlotte and Prince Louis, as well as Mike and Zara's children Mia, Lena and Lucas.
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