Mike Tindall has revealed that his children's nightly routine of racing to bed could lead to a "broken leg one day" as he joked about their competitive nature inherited from their mother, Zara Tindall.
Speaking at the Henley Literature Festival, the former rugby star confessed that even a simple race upstairs is not without its "ankle taps". In quotes obtained 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."
Competitive streak
He added: "And if they are as competitive as their mother, then we are all f****d!"
Zara and Mike Tindall celebrated 15 years of marriage earlier this year. In June, royal expert Jennie Bond said the couple "have everything going for them", noting that they seem to be "madly in love" and don't take things "too seriously".
She said 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. 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."
Palace wake-up call
Since exchanging vows in July 2011 at Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, the couple have had three children — Mia, Lena and Lucas.
In March 2025, an amusing story came to light about how Zara exacted her revenge on her husband following a late night out. After a night out with a friend, Mike struggled to find his way back to Princess Anne's flat at St James's Palace, where he was staying at the time. To make matters worse, he was due to run a coaching clinic the next morning.
Zara took charge to make sure he didn't miss the morning start, asking palace security to help. Not long after, officers reportedly went into his room wearing full protective gear and carrying guns. Mike recalled the incident 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 went on: "She says, 'I don't care what you do. He needs to be in North London in 35 minutes'. 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 comes following the news that Mike's father, Phil (former captain of Otley Rugby Club), passed away aged 79 after a "brutal" 23-year battle with Parkinson's disease. Mike spoke about his father's death 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. 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."
