Mike Tindall is facing constant ribbing from his podcast co-host James Haskell over the disgraced former prince, Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. In a recent interview, Haskell confirmed he relishes making jokes about the royal, insisting it's 'never the wrong moment' to do so.
The Podcast Dynamic
Speaking with The Times, James Haskell, who co-hosts the popular The Good, The Bad & The Rugby podcast with Tindall, openly discussed his habit of targeting his friend. Mike Tindall, who is married to Andrew's niece, Zara Tindall, typically responds to these jibes with a simple 'No comment'.
This is not a new development. In their book, which is based on their hit podcast, the former England rugby players revealed that Haskell enjoys 'bombarding' Tindall with jokes about the former prince, especially while they are on tour for their live shows.
'He'll pick up on something that I say. And then, if you look at the cesspool of Instagram, I get dragged into it,' Mike explained about the awkward situation.
Renewed Scrutiny on Prince Andrew
The focus on Prince Andrew was intensified this week with the release of thousands of documents from the estate of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Newly published emails from Epstein appear to confirm that a photograph of the former prince with his sex accuser, Virginia Giuffre, is real.
The documents also include an exchange from March 2011 where Andrew told Epstein and his associate, convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell, 'I can't take any more of this'. He was pleading with them to make it clear he was not involved in the allegations against them.
This release comes months after the former prince alleged he had broken off all contact with the sex offender. Ms Giuffre has alleged she was forced to have sex with Andrew on three separate occasions, including once at Maxwell's London home where the now-infamous photo was reportedly taken. Andrew vehemently denies all allegations made against him.
The Fallout and Consequences
The relentless connection to Jeffrey Epstein ultimately led to a dramatic fall from grace for the Duke of York. Earlier this year, his brother, King Charles III, stripped him of his royal titles, effectively putting an end to his public life as a working royal.
This decisive move followed the publication of Ms Giuffre's memoirs and the US government's release of documents from the paedophile financier's estate. Jeffrey Epstein took his own life in a New York prison in 2019 while awaiting trial on sex trafficking charges. Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison in 2022 after being convicted of sex trafficking.
