Mike Tindall has described how the royal family came "so close together overnight" after the death of the Queen. Mike is married to the Queen's granddaughter, Zara Tindall, who is daughter of Princess Anne and 20th in line to the throne.
The pair are said to have shared a bond with the monarch thanks to their love of sport and in particular horses. Mike said his wife loved the Queen "beyond everything else", the Mirror reports.
Talking on a special episode of his podcast The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, he said: "It's been sad, emotional but happy. In some ways amazing. To see the family come so close together overnight.
"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."
Former England rugby union star Mike has previously credited the Queen with helping him to feel like part of the family since he married Zara in 2011. In the days following her death, he shared moving tributes to her via Instagram.
He said: "Watching what Zara had to go through, obviously she loved the Queen beyond everything else. Their connection with horses, they had a real bond through that.
"It's like the world has lost its grandmother in some way." He went on to say that the guest list at the funeral was an indication of how well respected the monarch was around the world.
The Queen died at Balmoral on September 8. Zara was among the members of the family who went to Balmoral, and she later joined her mum in inspecting some of the many floral tributes that were left by well wishers at the estate.
She also stood alongside her brother and cousins for the Grandchildren's Vigil when the Queen was lying in state at Westminster Hall.
A new series of The Good, The Bad And The Rugby, which Mike presents alongside James Haskell and Alex Payne, begins tomorrow.
