Mike Tindall's stint on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here "crystallises" King Charles' vision for a slimmed-down monarch, a royal expert has claimed.
The former rugby player, who is married to Charles' niece Zara Tindall, has quickly won over his campmates and fans of the show with his sense of humour, kindness, and even rap skills.
The dad-of-three, who is not a working royal or has a royal title, has so far remained rather coy about what goes on behind palace walls with his in-laws.
However, he has dished on his boozy first date with Zara, how she "nearly choked" him while giving birth and how he split his trousers while dancing with his mother-in-law Princess Anne.
But according to royal expert and author Katie Nicholl, Mike's appearance on the show poses questions surrounding "royals and commercialisation" and the long-held belief that Charles wants a smaller monarchy.
Katie told True Royalty TV's The Royal Beat: "He's making a lot of money out of it. I do think this all leads to the much bigger question about royals and commercialisation.
"We dedicate so much time to discussing Harry and his commercial deals. How is this any different? It's not.
"But I think the point is, this really crystalises Charles' argument and vision for a slimmed-down monarchy."
Meanwhile, Katie added that it is unlikely that Mike's mother-in-law Anne would be watching the show.
She said: "Knowing Princess Anne...The idea that she’ll be sitting, cheering Mike on is absolutely unthinkable.
"I think she'll be thinking, 'What on earth is he doing?' And that’s probably the thoughts of most of the senior royals.
“One wonders if the Queen was still alive, and knowing how close Zara was to her grandmother, whether she might have actually had a conversation [about her husband appearing] saying, ‘Granny, just so you know...’ I think that’s much more likely than not.
Meanwhile on last night's I'm A Celeb, Mike recalled an awkward gaffe with Anne while reminiscing about a memorable night at a birthday party.
The 44-year-old recalled: "I love a suit, my problem with suits is I over exaggerate dancing at weddings… I rip a lot of suits, trousers and stuff.
"The old sl*t drop gets me every time, I went to a wedding, ripped a suit, they were like, 'Oh my God, what are you going to do?' I was like, 'Don’t worry I've got a spare.'
"They were like, 'Who brings a spare suit?' Someone who rips a lot of trousers brings a spare suit."
The former professional sportsman added: "Zara had like a 30th birthday, it was a disco 70s-themed one, I was dancing on the dance floor.
"I had like flares on, full outfit but it was quite tight, nothing ever fits - rugby player's bum and legs, so I was dancing with my mother-in-law and I did a sl*t drop in front of my mother-in-law.
"I ripped my trousers, straight in front of her, it happened to be that my boxers that I had on at that time said nibble my nuts", he said before revealing: "As I've turned round, she's gone, 'I'd rather not.' I've gone, 'I'm going' and walked off."
The Royal Beat - available on True Royalty TV.
