I knew Prince Harry when he was fun, says Mike Tindall in off-camera remark

The former rugby union player made rare comments about the Duke of Sussex in a chat with James Haskell and Alex Payne at Hay Literary Festival

ike Tindall has joked that he knew Prince Harry “when he was fun” in rare comments during an off-camera chat.

The former England rugby union player, 47, who is married to Princess Anne‘s daughter Zara Tindall, made the remark at the Hay Literary Festival in Powys, Wales, this week.

Joined by James Haskell and Alex Payne, his co-hosts on his podcast, The Good, The Bad and The Rugby, Mike also made a series of light-hearted comments about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

He opened up about his 2011 wedding to Zara, expressing his surprise that rugby star James Haskell had not made a fool out of himself there.

And making a rare mention of the Duke of Sussex, he said: “A lot of other people managed that way better than you – [like] Harry, when he was fun.”

The wedding took place during Harry’s famous “party prince” days, five years before he met his wife, Meghan Markle.

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Prince Harry and Mike Tindall used to be close friends and would laugh together on engagements

Harry and Mike were once close friends, and the Duke of Sussex is godfather to the Tindalls’ middle daughter, Lena, who is now seven.

Andrew jokes

During the banterous chat, Mike and his friends also made several mentions of disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor.

It came hours before Thames Valley Police gave an update on their misconduct investigation into him, which has reportedly been widened to include sex crimes.

Alex joked that Mike has his own “bedroom at Buckingham Palace”, to which Mike responded: “Opposite end to Andrew though.”

They also laughed about former rugby player Mike’s broken nose, for which he had corrective rhinoplasty in 2018. “Taxpayers’ money fixed it. It’s got the royal warrant if you look inside it,” he laughed.

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Mike also made lighthearted comments about Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor (pictured 2023)

It was reported early on Friday that the former Duke of York is now being investigated over potential sex crimes, with detectives hoping to speak to a woman taken to his Windsor home for “sexual purposes”, according to Sky News.

During the chat, the trio also revealed they have filmed a pilot for a new TV series in which they try to run Richmond Rugby Club.

Harry and Mike’s friendship

Prince Harry and Mike were once close friends, but their relationship has cooled since he stepped down from the royal family, and it’s not known if they’re still in touch.

They previously attended many events together, such as a lunch for the late Queen’s 90th birthday, while cousins Harry and Zara spent a lot of time together growing up.

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Mike and Zara attended Harry’s wedding to Meghan in 2018

Mike and Zara attended Meghan and Harry’s wedding in 2018 and supported him at the Sentebale Concert in 2016.

In 2023, Mike was only a half-hour drive from the Duke and Duchess of Sussex on a visit to Santa Barbara, but it’s not known if he paid them a visit at their home in Montecito.

In 2022, Mike made a rare mention of the Duke of Sussex during his appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! 

He said he didn’t feel any pressure when he initially found out Zara was a royal, as he’d previously met William and Harry.

He explained: “We were friends first and then William and Harry were massive England fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times. Met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating.”

cre: https://www.hellomagazine.com/royalty/903074/mike-tindall-4-word-comment-prince-harry-off-camera-chat/