Don’t expect Mike Tindall to speak out about Prince Harry and Meghan Markle’s “step back” news! When Queen Elizabeth II’s grandson-in-law was asked about his relatives’ change of course, he completely dismissed the question.
Tindall, 41, sidestepped the matter regarding Harry, 35, and Meghan, 38, during an appearance on the “House of Rugby” podcast on January 22. Cohost Alex Payne brought up the topic of his family, asking his cohost James Haskell — a friend of Harry’s — and Tindall: “Can we send Harry a hug? Is he all right? Have you been in touch?”
Haskell, 34, admitted that he’s spoken to the prince following the departure news. But Tindall, who is a retired rugby player and frequent guest on the podcast, replied, “Let’s not talk about this.” Payne, 39, then asked if discussing Harry and Meghan’s decision to step down was a “no-go,” to which Tindall stated that he didn’t “know anything about it.”
“I don’t know anything about it either,” Haskell, who attended Harry’s 2018 wedding to Meghan, added. “I don’t know anymore than you know … I think it must be very traumatic and difficult. I have sent my regards. That’s the extent of it.”
Tindall wed the monarch’s granddaughter Zara Tindall (née Phillips), the daughter of Princess Anne, in 2011. The couple have a very close relationship with Harry, and the British Army vet was even named the godfather of the pair’s youngest daughter, Lena, 19 months. (The Duke and Duchess of Sussex attended a christening ceremony that Harry’s 38-year-old cousin and former athlete, who also share 6-year-old daughter Mia, held for Lena in March 2019.)
On January 8, Harry and Meghan announced their plans to “step back” from their senior royal family positions and “become financially independent” via Instagram. They also stated that they intended to split their time between the U.K. and Canada.
In the weeks since sharing their unprecedented update, the queen declared on January 18 that she was “pleased” to have worked with her family to find “a constructive and supportive way” for Harry, Meghan and Archie, 8 months, to move forward. “Harry, Meghan and Archie will always be much-loved members of my family,” she said in a statement. “I recognise the challenges they have experienced as a result of intense scrutiny over the last two years and support their wish for a more independent life.”
The monarch continued, “I want to thank them for all their dedicated work across this country, the Commonwealth and beyond, and am particularly proud of how Meghan has so quickly become one of the family.”
Harry has “been unhappy in the royal family for years,” a source told Us Weekly exclusively on January 23. Days earlier, another insider revealed to Us that Harry “is not stressed or worried at all” about his departure. He’s “really excited about this next chapter,” and Meghan is “so happy” as well.
