Mike Tindall, former England rugby captain and member of the Royal Family by marriage, has shared a colourful anecdote about a personal request from his wife Zara Tindall and mother-in-law Princess Anne that he firmly declined.
The 47-year-old, who earned 75 caps for England and enjoyed a successful international career including World Cup triumphs and eleven Six Nations Championships appearances, was once encouraged by Princess Anne - patron of Scottish rugby - to don a pair of traditional tartan trousers known as trews. Zara, 45, who has strong Scottish connections herself having attended Gordonstoun School in Moray, was also part of the suggestion.
Despite the good intentions, Mike found the idea unappealing and expressed his feelings candidly. Speaking at a charity event, he said, “We got married in Scotland and Zara was schooled in Scotland. Obviously, my mother-in-law is patron of Scottish rugby. They keep on that they need to get me a pair of trews. I am, like, ‘F*** off’. I have spent my whole life trying to kill a Scotsman. I don’t want to wear their trousers.”
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“They keep on that they need to get me a pair of trews. I am, like, ‘F*** off’. I have spent my whole life trying to kill a Scotsman. I don’t want to wear their trousers.”
Trews are a key element of traditional Scottish Highland Dress, similar to kilts, often made of tartan fabric and reinforced with leather along the inner leg, originally designed to endure horse riding.
Mike and Zara celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary on Thursday, 30 July. The couple’s wedding took place at the Canongate Kirk in Edinburgh, with friends and family gathering for the intimate ceremony. Their celebrations reportedly continued into the early hours at Buckingham Palace’s official Scottish residence, the Palace of Holyroodhouse. Scotland was a fitting choice given Zara’s affection for Balmoral Estate - her late grandmother’s residence - as well as her fond memories of school there.
Mike’s reactions to family suggestions have not stopped with tartan trousers. On the television show A League of Their Own, he revealed that Princess Anne had once encouraged him to have cosmetic surgery on his nose ahead of their wedding. Having reportedly broken his nose more than eight times during his rugby career, Mike initially declined but ultimately underwent surgery prior to the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018.
In a 2022 appearance on Loose Women, Mike confirmed having the procedure was not merely cosmetic. When Vernon Kay remarked that Mike’s nose was significantly damaged and the surgery was not just for looks, Mike responded, “No, I was stopping breathing during sleep, so it needed to be done. I also had my teeth done but that was because they were crossed and looked like a bag of chips.”