Prince Harry and Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor don’t usually come up in royal family members’ public conversations these days.
But Mike Tindall unexpectedly put both exiled princes back in the spotlight during a lively appearance at a literature and arts festival in Hay-on-Wye, Wales, where the former rugby star cracked jokes about everything from his royal wedding to palace sleeping arrangements.
Speaking alongside his “The Good, The Bad and The Rugby” podcast co-hosts James Haskell and Alex Payne during a May 21 appearance at the Hay Festival, Mike reflected on his 2011 wedding to Zara Tindall — the daughter of Princess Anne — and teased James about behaving himself at the celebration.
“A lot of other people managed that way better than you — [like] Harry, when he was fun,” Mike quipped, as reported by The Telegraph.
The comment marked a rare public mention of the Duke of Sussex from a member of the extended royal family.
Harry, who is Zara’s first cousin, was once close with the Tindalls. He’s godfather to the couple’s second child, Lena, who turns 8 in June.
But relations between Harry and the royal family have, of course, cooled significantly since he and Meghan Markle stepped back from royal duties and moved to California in 2020.
More jokes
Zara Tindall and Mike Tindall have remained among the royal family’s most visible non-working royals in recent years. By: James Whatling / MEGA
But Mike didn’t stop with Harry. During the banter-filled discussion, he also made a few cheeky remarks about the former Duke of York, who’s faced years of scrutiny over his ties to predator Jeffrey Epstein.
When Alex joked that Mike was so royally connected that he had “his own bedroom at Buckingham Palace,” the retired rugby player shot back, “Opposite end to Andrew though.”
Mike later suggested event organizers were nervous about the topic coming up at all. “Backstage, they were like, ‘It’s being recorded, maybe stay away from [the subject of] Andrew tonight?’” he revealed, according to The Telegraph.
The comments come amid fresh headlines surrounding Mountbatten-Windsor, whose royal titles were stripped in late 2025 by King Charles III following renewed controversy over his relationship with Epstein. In February, the former Prince Andrew was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office weeks after the U.S. Department of Justice released emails suggesting he passed sensitive government information to the disgraced financier while serving as Britain’s trade envoy.
Now reports published in recent days indicate police inquiries have widened to include a sexual misconduct investigation.
Mountbatten-Windsor has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.
Past closeness
Despite Mike’s playful tone, his comments brought back memories of the once-close friendship he shared with Harry long before the Duke of Sussex’s royal exit.
Mike and Zara attended Harry and Meghan’s 2018 wedding and publicly supported several of Harry’s charitable efforts over the years. Before Harry fell out with The Firm, Mike frequently socialized with Harry at sporting events and family gatherings, while Zara and Harry grew up together as grandchildren of Queen Elizabeth II.
Mike has spoken warmly about Harry in the past. During a 2022 appearance on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!, he recalled first meeting Prince William and Harry long before he ever dated Zara.
“We were friends first and then William and Harry were massive England [rugby] fans at the time, so we’d met them numerous times,” Mike said. “Met more of the family than you’d normally have met of the woman you start dating.”
The Hay Festival appearance also featured lighter moments unrelated to the royals, including jokes about Mike’s surgically repaired nose and discussion of a possible new TV series centered on reviving Richmond Rugby Club, similar to Welcome to Wrexham.