Mike Tindall has joked that if his children inherit their mother Zara's fierce competitive nature, "we are all f****d", as he revealed that even a race upstairs to bed involves "ankle taps".
Competitive streak at home
Speaking at the Henley Literature Festival, the former rugby international admitted that bedtime routines in the Tindall household are far from calm. In remarks reported by The Mail on Sunday, Mike said: "Even if it's just a race upstairs to bed, there will be ankle taps. It might lead to a broken leg one day, but they will learn. Hopefully, the children will turn out like us."
He added: "And if they are as competitive as their mother, then we are all f****d!"
Mike and Zara Tindall marked their 15th wedding anniversary earlier this year. They married in July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh and have three children: Mia, Lena and Lucas. Their sporting backgrounds appear to influence their parenting approach.
Royal couple's bond
In June, royal commentator Jennie Bond suggested the pair "have everything going for them", observing that they appear to be "madly in love" and refuse to take matters "too seriously". She remarked at the time: "I think Mike and Zara have everything going for them; they are clearly still madly in love, they don't take themselves or life too seriously, and they know how to have a whole load of fun."
Bond added: "They are really good friends and that's really how it started. They met in Australia, bonded over a love of sport - and went out for a boozy lunch."
Zara's payback anecdote
In March 2025, an amusing anecdote emerged about how Zara enacted payback on her husband after he'd enjoyed a late evening out. Following an evening with a friend, Mike found himself struggling to navigate his way back to Princess Anne's flat at St James's Palace, where he was staying at the time. Making the situation more awkward, he was scheduled to run a coaching clinic the following morning.
Zara intervened to ensure he wouldn't miss the early commitment, requesting assistance from palace security. Shortly afterwards, officers reportedly went into his room wearing full protective gear and carrying guns. Mike recounted the episode at a charity fundraiser for DEBRA: "I was meant to be there in 45 minutes. My friend rings up Zara, who phoned the police post at the palace. They started giggling, saying they saw me at 4am on video cameras struggling to get to the doorway."
He continued: "She says, 'I don't care what you do. He needs to be in North London in 35 minutes'." He added: "Next thing, five guys in full riot gear with machine guns come in saying, 'Get up, get up'. 'I was, like, 'F***!' And in three minutes, I was in the back of a cab, with the police waving me off'."
Father's passing
This follows the news that Mike's father, Phil (former captain of Otley Rugby Club), died aged 79 following a "brutal" 23-year struggle with Parkinson's disease. Mike discussed his father's passing on The Good, The Bad and The Rugby podcast.
"Unfortunately, my dad passed away last week. Big shout-out to Otley Rugby Club. They played Chester on the weekend, and they did a minute's silence to my dad, who was captain in '72, '73," he said. "That little moment, I got to watch it. Someone recorded it, sent it to me, and then they wrote a little thing in the programme as well, which I read. But thank you very much to Otley Rugby Club for it."
