Mike Tindall has reportedly divulged the Princess Royal’s reaction to him getting "something over" on her many years ago and it’s as brilliant now as it was then.
We all know that certain members of the Royal Family have a fiercely competitive streak and as a former rugby player it’s no surprise that Mike Tindall is one of them. He played for England during his sporting career and this naturally would have brought him into good-natured conflict with his now-mother-in-law Princess Anne.
The King’s sister has been the Patron of Scottish Rugby since 1986 and has the honour of bestowing the Calcutta Cup to the winner of the Scotland vs England match each Six Nations tournament. So when Mike Tindall captained the England team to victory in 2011 he wasn’t about to let the moment go in a hurry.
As per Express.co.uk, the retired sports star has explained to Closer that Princess Anne wasn’t thrilled by his slow progress as he basked in England’s win.
"Most fellas want to get something over on their mother-in-law. It's quite niche if you're the captain of the England team and you play Scotland at Twickenham and, when you win, you're receiving the trophy from your mother-in-law," he reportedly shared.
Mike went on to reveal that he shook "every one" of the Rugby Football Union members’ hands and "kept her waiting" for her turn.
"She was like, 'Move on, Michael'. I was like, 'Debrief over lunch tomorrow?' And she said, 'Move on, Michael'," he apparently continued.
Pictures taken on the day captured the scenes of euphoria for Mike as he was handed the Calcutta Cup by Princess Anne and raised it into the air for all to see. Her response and refusal to be drawn into his joking is just what we might expect from someone as non-nonsense as the Princess Royal.
At the time Mike was engaged, but not yet married, to Zara Tindall and the couple tied the knot a few months later - ironically enough in Scotland. This year the royal couple will be celebrating their 14th wedding anniversary and Mike’s forged a strong bond with his mother-in-law, revealing last year on Good Morning Britain that he calls her "Ma’am" behind closed doors.
Although she might not have been keen to encourage him at Twickenham, Princess Anne is known to have a great sense of humour just like Mike and is much less serious outside of royal duties.
She, Prince William and the Princess of Wales appeared on Mike’s The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast last year and her nephew described racing her at Balmoral as a child and her being "good at corners".
Former BBC Royal Correspondent Jennie Bond told OK! at the time, "It’s always fascinating to get a glimpse of how the family get on with one another, and also what they get up to in private."
"The image, for example, of Princess Anne chasing William, and now his children, around the 'Balmoral Square' and often winning because she is 'good at corners' illustrates that, despite her sometimes rather stiff appearance, she’s a thoroughly fun Aunt to have around," she added.
