Rugby legend and I'm A Celebrity star, Mike Tindall, is reportedly in line to receive an “earbashing” from his mother-in-law, Princess Anne, for cooking up plans that could potentially throw a spanner in the works for not only the Princess Royal herself, but for Prince William and Kate Middleton, too. Buckle up!
It's said that Mike has been hatching plans to launch a rugby union “break-away” known as R360, which would be a worldwide league comprised of 12 franchises (eight men's teams and four women's)—and a possible rival to the national unions already in existence and rugby traditionalists.
However, this is where it gets a tad awkward as Prince William is patron of the Welsh Rugby Union and the Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, holds the same role for the Rugby Football Union. Elsewhere, Princess Anne is a patron for the Scottish Rugby Union, so really Mike is risking peeving three of his nearest and dearest, according to one royal expert.
“They are threatening to ban players who sign potentially lucrative contracts from playing for their countries. Tindall, who earned 75 caps for England, is also taking on family big beasts who represent the status quo,” the Daily Mail reports. “[...] In a ruck between the two, only a fool would bet against Anne.”
Typically, the pair have a great relationship by the sound of it, and Mike has previously said of his wife Zara's regal family, “I can only say how kind they've been to me, and how welcoming they’ve been to me since joining the family and how they’ve made my family welcome.” Princess Anne, along with the Prince and Princess of Wales, have even appeared on his rugby-themed podcast, The Good, The Bad & The Rugby.
Hopefully they'll be able to smooth this one out, then!
