The decision has sparked outrage online

Mike Tindall has found himself at the centre of a social media storm after sporting a red “Make England Great Again” cap on his rugby podcast.

The former England international, who is married to Princess Anne’s daughter Zara, wore the eye-catching headwear while discussing England’s heavy 42-21 defeat to Ireland in the Six Nations.

Tindall appeared on The Good, The Bad, & The Rugby, the show he co-hosts with ex-teammate James Haskell and former Sky Sports presenter Alex Payne, to dissect Steve Borthwick’s side’s disappointing performance.

While the 2003 World Cup winner clearly intended the hat as a playful dig at England’s struggles on the pitch, plenty of viewers saw something else entirely.

Mike Tindall’s choice of hat has sparked backlash online

| THE GOOD, THE BAD AND THE RUGBY

The cap’s resemblance to Donald Trump’s famous MAGA merchandise sparked immediate backlash online.

Broadcaster and political commentator Narinder Kaur was among those who took to X to voice her disapproval.

She posted a screenshot of Tindall in the cap, writing: “Princess Anne’s son-in-law, Mike Tindall, wearing a ‘Make England Great Again’ cap. People excusing this as ‘rugby’ connected. I did NOT look at that and think ‘rugby’, I thought MAGA. This isn’t a good look coming from the Royal Family – pretty low.”

Other users piled on with similar concerns about the royal connection.

One wrote: “Nope, that isn’t going to help the Royal Family. He knows with whom that hat is associated and what it means.”

Another took a harsher tone, suggesting Tindall had “clearly lost his god damn mind.”

The former centre won 75 caps for England between 2000 and 2011, featuring in the Six Nations squad for 11 consecutive years.

Mike wore the hat during his podcast | YOUTUBE/THE GOOD, THE BAD & THE RUGBYMost notably, he was part of the legendary 2003 squad that lifted the World Cup and claimed the Six Nations title in the same year.

His final international appearance came in October 2011 when he captained England to a 16-12 victory over Scotland – just three months after marrying Zara Phillips, the late Queen’s granddaughter.

On the podcast, Tindall didn’t hold back in his assessment of the Ireland defeat.

“They did not have to do anything to win that game. It was all given to them by England,” he declared from beneath the controversial cap.

Tindall has also ruffled feathers among some rugby supporters for his involvement in promoting R360, a proposed breakaway league that critics fear could spell disaster for the Premiership.

But when it comes to the hat row, plenty of people have rushed to his defence.

Mike Tindall played for the England side that won the World Cup and the Six Nations in 2003

| GETTY

One supporter on X pointed out: “For the record Mike Tindall was a member of that World Cup winning team. Whilst wearing that hat he was on a rugby podcast talking about England’s poor performance against Ireland & Scotland in this year’s 6 nations tournament.”

Another echoed the sentiment, noting it was simply “an ex rugby player, now rugby commentator, on a rugby podcast called ‘The Good, The Bad, & The Rugby’, discussing England Rugby performance in the Six Nations Rugby Championship.”

GB News has approached Tindall’s representatives for comment.