Awkward Mike Tindall Moments That Made Us Uncomfortable

Mike Tindall has been known to throw caution to the wind when it comes to royal protocols of restraint on more than one occasions. From airing details about what goes on behind closed doors within the royal family, to finding himself in the thorniest of goof-ups, Tindall has created a colorful legacy for himself as a member of the British monarchy. 

Though his actions might sometimes suggest otherwise, the gravity of his role and the influence he commands is not lost on him. But, as he admitted to The Times, he maintains a balancing act between his life within and beyond the palace walls. "It has its benefits and it has its negatives," he said. "You think about what you do and you have to be aware of it but it doesn't necessarily dictate. Zara and I have always been good at getting on with what's right for us." 

A former rugby champion, Tindall joined the royal ranks in 2011 following his marriage to Princess Anne's daughter, Zara Tindall. The journey since has been eventful for the father of three, who has kept himself engaged with television series, brand endorsements, and hospitality businesses besides his royal appearances. Life as a high-profile public figure has neither divested Tindall of his humor nor his unflinching candor — both qualities that have landed him in some thorny situations, often with embarrassing outcomes. Here are some uncomfortable moments from Mike Tindall's life as a royal that had the world do a double take. 

Every traditional royal outfit needs an extravagant headdress. And, as distant audiences, we wait in anticipation to see which over-the-top hat or fascinator a royal lady will pull out of her closet for an event. We're not sure the same can be said for people closer to the action. At the Royal Ascot in 2023, Mike Tindall seemingly found himself in a bit of a predicament when he went over to greet Queen Camilla, whose understated cream dress was upstaged by her wide-brimmed hat. 

To reach Camilla's cheek for a customary kiss, Tindall had to artfully tilt his face under the brim of her accessory in a way that could hardly have been comfortable. The awkward moment repeated itself with greater intensity at the races again the following year when Camilla showed up in an even bigger hat, which Tindall had to work harder to maneuver around. 

Inconvenient as they may prove to sometimes be, hats are an indispensable part of a royal woman's wardrobe, especially when she is out and about at a formal do. As fashion journalist Hilary Alexander once told ABC News: "There has to be a hat, it's part of the social fabric." Given the royal dress code that binds her — even more firmly now that she's queen — Camilla will not be ditching her hats anytime soon, so Tindall had better perfect his hat-dodging skills to avoid any future faux pas. 

Mike Tindall broke the unspoken oath that families universally swear by when he went public with an embarrassing nickname Prince William is known by within the royal household — and it was as un-royal a title as it can get! During a conversation with fellow rugby icon Rob Burrow for the BBC, Tindall got a bit carried away and revealed that his brother-in-law's low capacity for drinking had earned him the moniker "One-Pint Willy." His wife, Zara Tindall, who was also on the interview, was visibly taken by surprise as he continued to dish details about William's boozing behaviors that the royal family would have likely wanted to keep confidential. 

"He is known to me as One-Pint Willy, because he's not the best of drinkers, coming from a sport where it's built on the social aspect and a couple of beers being sunk quite often. That is one I will definitely give away for the Prince of Wales. One-Pint Willy. There you go, it's out there now. Sorry, sir," Tindall said, before his wife alerted him to the trouble his disclosure would get him into. Sure enough, it seems that something transpired behind-the-scenes because when William met Burrow soon after, he said that Tindall had apologized to him (via Mirror). Amused, he told the rugby player: "When I saw him, I said: 'Mike, when you're not going to mention your nicknames doesn't mean you mention mine, it's not fair.'" 

Mike Tindall found himself in piping hot soup back in 2011 when he got up close and personal with a woman who was not his wife. The ex-rugby star — who had married into the British royal family just weeks before the compromising incident came to light — was out on the town during the Rugby World Cup in New Zealand one night. CCTV footage from one of the bars he hit up called Altitude showed him cozying up to a "mystery woman," as she was widely referred to in the media. Their animated exchange spread like wildfire online, courtesy of a staff member at the bar who uploaded clips of it on YouTube. 

"Mr. Tindall your behaviour was unbecoming, especially to someone such as the Queen and Zara Phillips, I do feel for them," the bouncer, identified as Jonathan Dixon, said in his video. While he was eventually charged in court for illegally accessing the bar's security system, the royal response to the PR debacle was severely downplayed, if not indifferent, with a source close to Zara even claiming that she was "very relaxed about this." (via Daily Mail) As it turned out, Tindall's date — later identified as his ex-girlfriend, Jessica Palmer — was to be the least of his troubles that fateful night. Tindall reportedly participated in a dwarf-tossing contest at Altitude that evening, which chalked up to misconduct that all but ended his international rugby career. 

Mike Tindall isn't afraid to let his wildest sides show, even if his exploits might sometimes leave people bewildered. One such inexplicable moment took place in 2024 at the Mike Tindall Celebrity Golf Classic, something attendees of the namesake charity golf event (backed by the rugby star for over a decade) would never have expected to witness. Tindall put his face to the ground and screamed an expletive-ridden monologue to his golf ball that lay motionless near the hole, an Instagram video showed. "Get in your home! What's the matter with you? You too good for your home? Kiss my white a** ball!" 

To the uninitiated, this antic would have been nothing short of surreal. Pop culture enthusiasts, on the other hand, recognized it for what it actually was: a recreation of the scene from the 1996 film "Happy Gilmore," where Adam Sandler's short-fused character gives his golf ball a piece of his mind after a missed shot. Tindall's video, shared on the charity event's page, hinted at the tribute with a caption that read: "If @adamsandler is unavailable for Happy Gilmore 2 then ...... " 

The British royals' penchant for golf is well-known, but Tindall's passion for the game goes beyond the golf course. During an Instagram live in 2020, his wife, Zara Tindall, revealed that he had taken to playing golf on his mobile phone during the coronavirus lockdown. "It must be a gaming thing that rugby lads do." 

For some, like Mike Tindall, forgetting the date they married their significant other is more than just an overdone punchline. The former rugby champion was interviewing his wife, Zara Tindall, on Magic Millions' "Mike Drop" series in 2023, when he got his wedding year mixed up in a seemingly genuine moment of absent-mindedness. "In 2012, you married a legend," he quipped, during a conversation about Zara's milestones. The Olympic equestrian didn't lose a moment before shooting back with a retort: "Who said that? Didn't we get married in 2011?" The flub momentarily threw Tindall off-balance, but nevertheless, it made for an amusing moment between the couple, who laughed it off. 

Tindall and Zara's relationship has been a favorite among royal fan circles for years, with the pair never shying away from a little bit of PDA and a whole lot of fun. They first met in 2003, when a mutual friend introduced them at a bar in Australia. Sparks flew, and not long after they went out on a date that set the tone for the rest of their high-spirited future together. "First actual date, just went out for lunch locally. And ended up being quite a boozy one. Then we figured out that we both quite like getting smashed. It was a good start," Tindall recounted on "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" The maverick couple tied the knot in an intimate ceremony in Scotland in 2011. 

Mike Tindall is notorious for letting his tongue run loose to extents that the rest of the British royal family could never dream of. His candor was on especially bold display on "I'm a Celebrity ... Get Me Out of Here!" when he dished about drama from within the palace walls that fans were only too eager to hear. During one such spill session — when Tindall was voicing his dilemma of loving both suits and energetic dancing — he told his fellow contestants about the time he embarrassed himself in front of Princess Anne. And true to form, he did not reign his words in. 

The family was celebrating Zara Tindall's 30th birthday in disco-themed style when Mike Tindall had a little accident. "I was dancing on the dance floor, I had like flares on, full outfit but it was quite tight, nothing ever fits — rugby player's bum and legs — so I was dancing with my mother-in-law and I did a sl*t drop in front of my mother-in-law ... Ripped my trousers straight in front of her," Tindall recalled. As if that wasn't enough, the boxers he had on inside — and which stood exposed after the royal rip — apparently said "nibble my nuts." The mortification of it all would have been enough to make a royal blush, but being the boss-woman that she is, Anne didn't leave the scene without a wisecrack: "I'd rather not."